Confessions
by Cassandra L. Johnson
Summary: Rogue/Wolverine. A/U Pairing. A man known only as Wolverine finds himself in some pretty sticky situations after meeting a young woman called Rogue in a strip club and how there lives will forever be changed. For better or for worse.
1. Chapter One

**Summary:** This is a look at how the events that led Logan and Marie to Xavier if the x-men were not fully formed yet and how it may have changed there lives in the process. I put this story up once before, I took it down. Have no idea why I did such a thing! But I am reviewing through chapters correcting spelling error's and hopefully will finally complete Confessions which will end up being a three part series. Let me know what you think in your reviews and let me know if there is anything I could improve on.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Marie was still in High School just a normal average every day teenager she'd dreamed of going to Anchorage, Alaska after High School before she left for college. That dream had come true but not exactly in the way that she had hoped.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Flash Back**

"C'mon Marie its just one little kiss." Cody teased in the backseat of his dad's old station wagon. Cody had been trying to get Marie to have sex for almost a month ever since the prom Marie had promised that they would finally have sex on prom night. Coming down with a case of the flu Marie hadn't been able to go to prom and was sick in bed for a week afterward. Now Marie was feeling a lot better and was sitting parked at the drive in movies with her boyfriend of almost five months. Truth be known Marie was actually overjoyed to have gotten the flu just before prom. She'd been scared to death of actually having sexual intercourse with her steady boyfriend. Given many people like some of her girl friends thought that she and Cody had already made it and prodded Marie for all the juicy details. Smiling coyly Marie would always tell them. "Ladies don't kiss and tell." That had always been her cover. All her other girl friends had started having sex some time ago. Marie had been raised up strict as a child about all things lady like by her mama.

"Marie? Hello Marie ya in there baby?" Breaking from her thoughts she saw Cody waving his hand across her face to bring her back from her zoned state. "Ah- Ah dunno Cody Ah mean what if someone sees us?" Marie said looking around the back window of the vehicle.

"Marie...everyone else is already doing it. I don't see what the big deal is about one little kiss." Cody said. Marie could see where he was coming from Cody had been very understanding from the beginning about her wanting to wait until they knew each other she'd even explained she thought that sex was for people who were in love and she just didn't want to have sex with anyone until she was for sure that she was in love with them.

Nervously looking down at her hands they where shacking as Cody's index finger tipped Marie's chin up to look into his eyes. "You love me don'tcha Marie?" He asked. "Cause I sure do love you, I mean I never felt like this 'bout any girl." Cody said his face coming dangerously close to Marie's.

_'Gawd, mah heart is just about gonna pound outta mah chest!'_ Marie thought to herself as Cody scooted just a little bit closer to Marie in the seat and wrapped his arm around her shoulders wedging her in even closer to him. "C-Cody." Marie stuttered trying to pull away from his lips. But before Marie could get enough distance between herself and Cody his lips were already pressing roughly against hers. Squealing a little bit he was kind of hurting her mouth the way he was pressing his into hers so hard.

_'He's gonna break one o'mah teeth!'_ Was her thought as Cody's free hand slipped from her chin and ran down to her right breast squeezing it hard. Crying out she jerked away forcefully shoving Cody back away from her. "Ouch! Damn it Cody that hurts!" Marie yelled at him reaching over to slap at his chest quickly.

Fuming Cody was whipping his lips off from his own saliva. "Fuck Marie!" Cody raged. "Yer such a gah damn prude! Ya know half of our senior class has already been fucking since they were freshman's!" Cody was in a rage like Marie had never seen him before. Shivering a little bit she pressed herself back into the room of the backseat afraid he might strike her. "Your gonna have sex with meh Marie! Ya just gonna learn to like it!" Cody said quickly grabbing both of Marie's shoulders and jerking her closer towards him kissing her again and this time forcing his tongue into her mouth. Pushing her hands into Cody's chest he was so strong all of a sudden he wouldn't budge and he was forcing her further back into the seat onto her back.

Breaking away from her lips Cody was busily groping at her breasts with one hand as he unzipped his jeans with the other. _'Oh please God please please make him stop.'_ Marie prayed. "Cody please no stop it don't do it like this!" Marie yelled at her boy friend. Jerking his head up to look into Marie's frightened face Cody's eyes a blaze. "Yer gonna take it, and yer gonna like it wither ya wanna or not!" He screamed yanking at her jeans button and unzipping them, quickly jerking them half way down Marie's unwilling hips. Marie's arms and hands became her only weapons again his brutal assault. Like battering rams Marie pounded her fists into Cody's face, shoulders, and chest. Getting tired of being hit Cody grabbed Marie's wrists and wrenched them above her head and covered her screaming lips with his down forcing his erect penis inside of her ripping through her hymen Marie cried through Cody's lips suddenly feeling something strange. Her head was swimming with rage, confusion, and desperation. It was like she was thinking Cody's thoughts and then his body went lax before starting to convulse on top of Marie. Screaming Marie looked up at Cody's face his eyes had rolled back into the back of his head. "Oh Oh God Cody!" All his thoughts where making her confused Marie could actually feel the horny little prick inside of her head. Despite her anger at him she was afraid he was dying or something quickly pushing the car door open she scrambled out and feel flat on her ass onto the pavement banging her head on the car next to them. Grabbing her head lightly from pain she stood up and ran towards the concession stand screaming for help.

Getting to the counter one could only imagine how she looked. Scaring the wits out of the girl working the counter Marie screamed. "Ah need an ambulance mah boyfriend he's hurt he's have like some kind of seizure!" She screamed causing enough attention that the manager came out of the back with a shocked face. "Quickly Ashley call 911." He said to the girl working the counter as he jumped over the counter. "Where's your car." He asked. Marie was already running back towards there parked car with the manager not to far behind her.

Getting back to the car Cody was still in convulsions. Climbing into the back seat with the young body he turn him over his now limp cock curled between his legs the manager quickly glanced back at Marie standing outside the car door crying. "What happened here!" he shouted. Marie was shaking the people in the car next to them had already climbed out of the drivers side seat and a whole crowd of people have gathered around to watch some still shoveling pop corn into there mouths. "Ah dunno...Ah- Ah just touched'em...Ah didn't mean to...Ah just touched'em." Marie was in hysterics already when she began to piece together inside of her head what had happened she'd been so afraid when Cody was on top of her and then suddenly she could feel him draining into her mind. She'd done it.. she was the one how'd caused this. She wanted to get away from him but she hadn't wanted to hurt him. Not like that.

The siren of the ambulance broke Marie from her tears as she saw people getting out the way. Cringing away from the EMT's they asked the people next to them to move there car out of the way so that they could get a stretcher in to get Cody out of the car. They quickly moved there car and left. Loading Cody up in the ambulance Marie was aloud to ride along with them to the hospital. She had to be there to call hers and Cody's parents and tell them were they where and what had happened when they got to the hospital.

In a dazed like state Marie hardly knew anything was going on when she climbed into the ambulance and they took off for St. Mary's Hospital. Before she knew what was going on she was standing on the ambulance loading dock and the EMT's where rushing Cody into the emergency doors quickly running after them they rushed Cody into a room she couldn't go into she was about to follow them in when a nurse quickly grabbed Marie by the shoulders. "Hey hang on there a minuet missy ya can't go in there." She said. Marie quickly jerked away from her not wanting her to touch her skin. "Honey hey its all right ya friends gonna be okay." She said looking at Marie with caring eyes. "Ya shaking sweetie here." the nurse quickly stepped into a room and grabbed her hooded sweater and wrapped it around Marie's shoulders. "Now come with me I need to ask you some questions." She said gently ushering Marie into a small cubical and sitting her down in a chair where she could easily see the emergency room doctor's working on Cody. "Know what's ya friends name, address, and phone number we need to contact his parents." She said. Till this day Marie still can't remember her telling the nurse any of Cody's information.

Marie was sitting in the waiting room when Cody's parents and hers as well came running into the emergency room asking where Cody was. Marie's mother quickly ran over to her daughter and crushing her in her arms. Marie was sobbing again uncontrollably. "Marie what happened." Edeth asked. Looking up into her mother's eyes Marie could see her father standing behind her mother holding her shoulders as she tried to comfort her distraught daughter. "Ah dunno Mama, Ah really don't we was in the back of Cody's dads car and he started trying to take mah clothes off and then all of a sudden he just started shaking all over and his- his eyes rolled into the bah-." Marie broke off crying again. Despite the worry in Marie's fathers eyes they suddenly became fierce with anger at what his daughter was saying. Stepping in front of his wife George D'Ancanto took his daughter by the arms that where safely protected from his hands by the nurses sweater and shook her a little bit to snap her out of her hysterical state. "Marie! Marie!" George shook her again until he had her attention. "Did that boy try to rape you!" He almost yelled it so loud that the whole room heard his thundering voice. Marie's chin was quivering as her eyes welled up with tears again and nodded her head. Clutching his daughter against his chest holding her tightly murmuring under his breath in a tight tear filled voice. "I'll kill'em. I will kill that rat bastard of a kid." Marie clutched the back of her dads old denim jacket racking with tears not from nearly being raped but from what she had done. Marie was more concerned about what she had done to hurt Cody then what Cody had tried to do to her.

Cody's parents heard the news from Edith the next day while she talked to Cody's mother Evelyn on the telephone from the room of Cody's hospital room. Evelyn had denied that her son would ever do such a thing and hung up on her. And stared and the unmoving body of her seventeen year old son tears began to stream down her cheeks not wanting to believe that her son would dared hurt a girl in such a way.

Against her parents wishes Marie spent every waking minuet at the hospital with Cody all through the three weeks of his coma until the day that he finally awoke from his coma. Standing at his bed side Cody's parents on the other side Marie had been keeping her skin well covered so that no one could touch her skin to skin avoiding kisses from her mother and father, they assumed that because of what happened she just couldn't stand the feel of anyone touching her just yet.

Cody slowly opened his eyes, his mother brushing hair away from his forehead and crying proud that her son had awakened. His eyes roamed over the room for a moment until the focused on Marie standing at the side of his bed her hands safely in gloves and shoved into the pockets of a hooded sweat shirt. He's expression twisted for a moment before he croaked out the words. "Mutant." almost spitting the words into her face. Evelyn's eyes flicked from her to Marie and then back again. "Mutant!" Cody screamed again jerking up right in his bed weakly before falling back against the pillows and screaming at the top of his lungs. "MUTANT! MUTANT! MUTANT!" nurses where gathering outside of his room before rushing in to give him something to calm him. Marie began to back away from the bed as he continued to shout 'Mutant' at her before she turned tears streaming down her face and ran out of the hospital.

The news was out all over town that Marie D'Ancanto was a mutant, a dangerous mutant at that. People seemed to forget so quickly of the wrong that Cody had done when they realized that Marie was a mutant. People wrote. 'Mutie Lovers!' across there garage door. Marie couldn't go to school without getting stares and taunts. Finally she was kicked out of her school after a parent teacher meeting where everyone agreed that she was a danger to her classmates.

Marie finished her senior year of high school by home schooling. Two weeks after getting her High School diploma in the mail Marie turned eighteen. The tension between herself and her parents was getting so thick that you couldn't have cut it with a steak knife. Marie knew that her parents where slowly starting to look at her with disgust. Being the first family is Meridian, Mississippi to have a mutant child the town had not been kindly to them. Marie could take no more so one night she dressed warmly and packed all her things dropping her duffel bag out of her second story bedroom window and climbed down the drain pipe. Getting out to the side walk Marie holding all her belongings with her she looked back at her childhood home once more remembering the happy times instead of the bad. She vowed to herself that she wouldn't let herself dwell on the bad things that had befallen her family at the discovery of her mutation. Feeling tears begin to slide down her cheeks she quickly whipped them way and said good bye to the past and hello to the future no matter how hard and cruel it might be to her. There was no more soft, sweet, loveable Marie any more. She was reborn and that day she was born Rogue.


	2. Chapter Two

**Present **

Rogue had acquired a fake I.D. stating her as the age of 21 and a name of Anna Marie Truscot after many months of starving on the road Rogue had gotten a job at a strip club in Anchorage. Applying for the job the owner her told her she sure didn't look like she was 21 but luckily the guy was a slim ball and had given her the job. Her only request was that her stage name be Rogue and that all the tips she made on stage be placed into a bucket, she explained that she didn't have a problem taking her clothes off for the men in the club she just couldn't tolerate the men touching her. The owner was a little sketchy with that at first but agreed in the end. Securing a small apartment with one of the other dance girls Rogue was doing pretty well on her own. She still kept herself covered to everyone and even while stripping she wore gloves and made a rule never to get to close to the edge of the stage.

Carol's Gentleman's Club was being kind to her, most of the men that came into the club where semi respectful to her when she danced for them and after about four months Rogue had raised enough money to get an apartment of her own, not that she didn't enjoy living with 'Candy' but she knew she would be more comfortable living alone. Rogue would no longer have to worry about keeping herself completely covered around the apartment fearful that someone might touch her.

It was just another night at the club for Rogue when she arrived for work at 8 P.M. Rogue usually came in early to get her things ready she would dress in her thong and bra or whatever prop she was using for her act in the ladies bathroom instead of the dressing room where all the other dance girls got ready. Becoming with of there most popular attractions Rogue was climbing the charts of Carol's Gentleman's club ranks, some of the girls where jealous and other not as much. In fact most of the girls at the dance clubs where girls just like her, left home to early either from abuse or just plain stupidity of thinking that they could make it out in the big bad world on there own. A lot of them wanted to be star's actor's Rogue just wanted to pay the rent and be left alone. She cried almost every night before she left for work, and every morning when she came home with her two or three thousand dollar's in tips. Oh if only her mama could see her now. She wasn't the modest little girl she'd been raised up to be and down inside it shamed her more then anything. Some times she would pretend that she was still that silly little seventeen year old girl inside her room dancing in her under wear and lip syncing to Allanis Moriset. And those where the days that got her through to the next.

Standing outside the curtain awaiting the announcer to say her name she checked her gloves. Tonight she was dressed as a little waiter girl. "And now put your hands together for the lovely, the seductive Miss Rogue!" Rogue could hear a few of the men in the crowd hooting and hollering and screaming her name as she slipped out from behind the curtain her music starting to play as she danced dipping down to the floor until her thong clad bottom almost touched the floor before slowly swaying her hips as she came back up running her hands seductively over her body taking a few buttons at a time on her costume. Stepping around the big brass pole in the middle of the stage she rested her back against it as she continuously let her hands roam her body and zoning out of herself to a better place. The place she went to every time when she did her three nightly performances.

Rogue didn't normally look at the faces of the men seated on bar stools at the stage nor did she ever look into the darkness of the crowd but tonight she caught a few glimpses of faces in a dizzying whirl as she spun around the pole ripping the finally last buttons of her costume and discarding it on the floor behind her. Rogue knew the feeling of eyes burning into her body as she danced. Every man in the place looked at her, but they never looked at her in the way that made her look around for the person who held them.

Tonight as Rogue danced there was one, dark man sitting in the back of the club leaned down in his seat his eyes a blaze as they watched her every move. Taking her bra off she did all the typical moves that all the dance girls did as they danced around the pole. Glancing to her left she could see a man waving a twenty dollar bill at her before he dropped it into the little black bucket that read in gold lettering Carol's Gentleman's Club and then passed it to the next man. Rogue couldn't seem to keep her gaze off of the man in the back, he wasn't one of the regular's of the club. She'd never seen this one before. Hearing her music coming to a close she gathered up sheer costume and picked up the black bucket that now sat at the end of the stage and walked back behind the curtain this time a little relieved that she no longer could feel that mans heated gaze upon her body.

Logan wasn't the type of man who normally visited strip clubs but tonight was an exception. He'd had a fight at a local fight bar just outside of the city and he hadn't seen any women that caught his eye so he asked the bartender where he could find a woman. The bartender had given him a short grin before directing him to Carol's Gentleman's Club. Snorting slightly as Logan paid the damned ten dollar cover charge to get into the place. It was nothing but a glittery whore house in his mind. But as he grabbed an empty seat in the back and got a beer and a lap dance from one of the girls his attention was strayed from the girl who seemed to be in her late twenties wildly grinding herself against him. She really was working for that tip. Looking up at the stage as a young brunette took the floor she caught his attention. It wasn't just that her body had the right amount of curves and the fact that she made him damn himself for wearing such tight jeans but the face, Rogue as the announcer had called her she just didn't seem to fit in this place her face seemed to innocent. Sniffing the air his suspicions where cleared as her scent told him all that he needed to know. She was nerves, afraid, innocent, probably wondering how the hell her life had fucked up so badly that she'd ended up in this place taking her clothes off for tips.

Taking another sip of his beer Logan didn't take his eyes off the young brunette until her song ended and he waved away another dancer wanting to know if he wanted another lap dance. Finishing his beer he paid his tab and left the club his mind wondering those curves when he started to wonder just how a kid like that had ended up in a strip club. Daddy probably raped her or something he thought to himself and before he realized it Logan felt a protective growl rumbling inside of his chest. Shaking the momentary feeling of possessiveness from his mind Logan climbed into his beat up pick up truck and pulled out of the parking lot. _'She just another whore.'_ He said to himself. _'Probably has banged every guy in the place.'_ But no Logan couldn't shake that feeling that she was to innocent for that despite the show she putt on for the men in the club. There was something different about her, that kid, the girl called Rogue.

Pulling up at his hotel Logan had another fight the next night and didn't plan on freezing his balls off and sleeping in his camper. Pulling the key from his pocket he walked into the hotel room reeking of dust and sex that still hadn't cleared the air from its last occupants. Taking a long hot shower before he climbed in naked between the cool sheets of the hotel and laying on his back, every time he closed his eyes he saw images of the Rogue dancing again, dancing for him it seemed inside of his mind. Rolling over into his side Logan fell into dreams of running his hands along that perfect skin that looked like it would feel like satin against his own.

His dreams slowly started to fade to that place where Logan had long ago been caged, electric pain shooting through his body holding back his screams of torture until his lungs burned and he opened his mouth screaming and felt water and the lingering taste of his own blood come washing into his mouth. Sudden rage filling him as he escaped from his watery prison three six inch claws springing forth from his hands with a snikt pain searing through his hands again now weapons for his use, cutting through anything that came into his path trying to stop him. Sinking his claws deep into a soldier that came into his path right into the breast bone Logan or the Wolverine smiled like a devil in the face of the soldier, but then the face started to fade and as he blinked trying to focus again he's stabbed the girl, that stripper Rogue. Extracting his claws he grabbed her as she collapsed against his chest sliding down to the concrete floor of the lab he was in holding her in his arms. What had he done. Mumbling in his sleep he yelled "Help...somebody, somebody help!" Looking down into the girls eyes she was shaking slowly her hand was reaching up to his face to touch it she was trying to say something, leaning down to her trying to hear what she was saying the tips of her fingers barely grazing his cheek Logan jerked up right in bed bathed in sweat from his nightmare. Turning he swung his legs over the side of the bed breathing hard. The acidic chunks of vomit rising in his throat Logan ran for the bathroom vomiting into the toilet. Kneeling against the bowl his forehead resting on his forearm as he gagged.

Rising slowly from the toilet he pushed the little handle not caring to watch the remains of his last meal being flushed down the drain. Looking a himself in the mirror he turned on the faucet running cold water he rinsed his mouth out before splashing cold water onto his face and taking in a deep breath feeling somewhat better. Wiping his face with a rough towel he brushed his teeth getting the last bits of vomit taste from his mouth. Logan shivered a little bit beads of cold sweat still popping out on his body. Why had she suddenly turned up in one of his worst nightmares. Maybe she was a link to his past. But them no, she couldn't have been she looked to young to have even been alive in his old life. She was trapped inside his head and he was replaying her dying face over and over again inside of himself.

Looking out of the window the early rays of sun light where beginning to come through the sheer curtain and blinds of the hotel room. Turning his back against the sun Logan turned on the shower again and tried to cleanse himself of the remains of his nightmare. She had him trapped he couldn't escape the vision of her. Washing his hair quickly and the rest of his body Logan quickly got out of the shower dressed while he was still half wet from the water. He had to get his mind off of her. Feeling hunger pains in his abdomen Logan decided the best thing to do was get something to eat. Leaving his hotel room Logan whipped the memory of his latest nightmare from his mind as he got into his truck and drove to the dinner he'd seen coming into Anchorage.


	3. Chapter Three

Waking late in the afternoon Rogue had gotten up taken a shower made herself breakfast and was out the door to pay her rent to the land lord before she headed to the grocery store for some shopping she was running low an all the things she needed. Driving around town Rogue gripped the steering wheel of her old Volvo looking at her leather gloved hands as she came to a stop at a red light. For some reason she couldn't shake off the feeling she'd gotten the night before at the club while that man had been watching her. If felt like there was some kind of bound between them some kind of kinship. Rogue didn't know what it was but for the first time in a long time she hadn't come home to her apartment to cry herself to sleep or to wander the rooms like a lost and lonely soul. Smiling slowly to herself she put on her sunglasses and pulled away from the red light and into the Kroger parking lot playing around she swerved around in the parking lot with the radio blasting before she found a parking spot and grabbed her purse got out locked her car up and walked up to the store entrance.

Grabbing a cart she lazily leaned against it going over her little shopping list, even though Rogue had plenty of money to spare she still went by a strict list of things she needed and rarely ever strayed from it until it came to sweeties, Rogue had a terrible sweet tooth which she had to feed. Most of the time she never bought ready made cakes she made them by scratch as she did cookies and every other type of sweet that she liked. It was one of the things her mama had taught her as a little girl that still clung to her till this day.

Finishing her list Rogue took all her things to the check out counter and paid, the young boy there probably around her age tried to flirt and that made her giggle like a silly little school girl. Taking her things and leaving she had to laugh again but this time at herself, every time she thought she was hard and every trace of Marie was gone a little thing like that would slip up on her and remind her that she wasn't as tough as she liked to think that she now was.

By the time Rogue got back to apartment and put away her groceries it was almost time to start getting ready to go to work. Taking a few bites from a salad she still had in the fridge from one of her late night drives home from work trips to Wendy's Rogue hurriedly went into the bathroom took another shower styled her hair packed her three different thongs and bra's into a duffel bag and rushed out of the door.

______________________________________________________________________________

Logan stood in the caged ring as the announced crowned him victor of the fight. Logan was proud of himself he hadn't lost any money and knew that because of his always steady winning streak a lot of people had made some money off of him tonight by betting his winning the fight and hey if they could make a buck off of him then that was okay with him too. Stepping out of the ring bare footed Logan put on his socks and boots and went into the bathroom to wash up, although one could wonder how well anybody could clean up in a bathroom so skuzzy.

Walking out of the bathroom smelling like anti bacterial soap he took himself a seat at the bar. "I'll have a beer." he told the bartender and tossed a few bucks down on the bar as he pulled a cigar from his denim jacket pocket and light it up, a cloud of yellow smoke hovering over his head as the bartender slide the bottle of Molson towards him. "So, get any tail last night at the club?" the bartender asking as he washed some glasses casting a few side glances at Logan every once and a while. Logan looked up at the bartender for a second his mind flashing back to the young dancer he couldn't seem to get his mind off of. "Didn't stick around that long, just headed back to my hotel room." Logan said taking a long slug of his beer.

"Friend of mine knows the owner, but I'll tell ya the guy never made a better business deal then when he hired that new girl." the bartender said a little off handedly as he picked up a clean glass and began to shine it. Logan's ears perked up a little bit at this. "Eh well he's got some girls out there that don't even look like there fresh outta high school yet." Logan said averting his eyes to the television set that sat atop of the fridge. "Heh girls?" the bartender raised his brows. "Ya mean girl. You must've been paying attention." the bartender smirked. "Like'em young do ya?" he asked leaning over the bar a little bit. A resentful growl came up in Logan's throat as the bartender backed away a little bit. "Hey didn't mean to offend ya." he said grabbing a beer out of the fridge for himself and popping the cap off he tossed it on the counter.

Sensing this guy was getting ready to hunker down for a good talk Logan finished his beer off and stood up straightening out his jackets. "My money." Logan said gruffly knowing that the bartender kept all the winning money behind the counter. Reaching down he pulled out a stack of bills held together by a rubber band and tossed them down onto the counter in front of Logan. Picking it up Logan looked through it counting to make sure it was all there before stuffing it into one of his jacket pockets and gave him a nod and walked out of the bar.

Driving back to his hotel for the rest of his things Logan went in clearing the place out of all signs that he'd ever been there including stealing all there towels and tooth brushes before turning the key in at the front desk. Getting into his truck he was headed for the high way but before he realized what he was doing to he was driving down the same road he had last night to Carol's Gentleman's Club. Sitting in the parking lot staring up at the pink neon lights he was wondering why he was back here again. He had a good mind to pull his truck back out of the parking lot but for some reason he wanted to see that girl one more time before he got back on the road and headed for the next fight bar which would take him a couple of days. His next stop was Laughlin City.

Walking into the club Logan found the same seat in the back nice and dark and settled in. Ordering a beer Logan leaned down in his chair sipping getting a nice little buzz from his second beer of the night, but his healing factor would take care of that shortly. Just as the night before the same dancer came up to him and offered him a lap dance. Laying down a twenty on the table he nodded a little bit.


	4. Chapter Four

______________________________________________________________________________

Rushing into the club Rogue was late and she had to be on stage in five minuets. Quickly dressing in the ladies bathroom Rogue came back out adjusting her black satin gloves and the white dress shirt she wore her black pants all Velcro in place so that when she ripped them off they came off evenly. Standing behind the curtain she awaited the announced like every night. "And now put your hands together for the lovely, the seductive Miss Rogue." Smiling slightly to herself Rogue shimmied out of the curtain her long locks of brunette hair curled just lightly on the tips. This night Rogue started out dancing at the pole grinding with it between her legs suggestively, there was a crowd of men that had come in off a bus for some kind of convention in town tonight and they were pretty rowdy. So rowdy that Rogue didn't notice the same pair of piercing eyes watching her.

Ripping her shirt open Rogue had watched strip tease earlier that week and had been practicing to rein act a scene from the movie. Dancing around in her bra, pants and long opera gloves Rogue was really putting on a show tonight. Just as she was about to spin around the pole and rip her Velcro pants off she felt a hand grab her arm. Panicking she looked up and one of the men who had crawled up onto the stage with her. Jerking pulling trying to get away from him his hands where getting so dangerously close to her poison skin. "BENNY!" she screamed for the bouncer. But he was having a hard time getting through the crowd of rowdy men who were making all the usual customers into animals too. "BENNY!" She screamed again when suddenly she jerked forward as the man that had a hold of her arm was thrown off of the stage and standing before her was the dark man who'd been watching her that night. His eye's where the most intense hazel she'd ever seen and she stood frozen to the spot. Turning Rogue ran off the stage and into the arms of a waiting 'Candy' holding up a long shelved shirt for Rogue to slip her arms into quickly. "Oh my God Rogue are you okay you must have been so scared well honey its okay don't be scared we get some of those creeps everyone once and a while." Candy talked so fast sometimes you could hardly understand a word that she was saying.

Peaking back out from behind the stage curtain the man was gone but there was an all and out bar room brawl going on out there now between the costumers and the bouncers. Shaking her head a little bit Rogue quickly grabbed her duffel bag and headed out the back entrance still very visibly shaken. Stumbling through the parking lot to her car Rogue looked up at the truck that was parked next to her car, there was a man sitting inside rubbing his knuckles. Looking closer it was the same man that had thrown the drunken bastard off of the stage. Sucking in a deep breath she walked over to the driver's side and tapped on the window.

______________________________________________________________________________

Logan's knuckles where just itching to let the claws out, the Wolverine inside of him was howling for another fight he could never turn down a challenge. Rousing from his thoughts Logan heard someone tap on his window. Turning his head sharply his expression softened a little bit as he looked at the girl outside of his truck. Opening the door he stepped out, he stood almost a head taller then her. Scanning her up and down Logan figured without the six inch heels on he would've stood taller.

"Ah...Ah just wanted to thank ya fer what ya did back there...that guy scared the heck outta meh." the girl breathed touching her chest as she nervously laughed.

"No thanks are needed darlin, can't resist a damsel in distress." Logan said, stopping for a second and knitting his brows together. _'Where the hell did that come from? Damsel in Distress? This ain't no fuckin fairy tale.'_ Logan quickly shrugged it off.

"Well thanks anyways." She said again shifting her weight from one foot to the other before cursing under her breath and reaching down she pulled off one heel and then the other. "Damn heels, honestly Ah only wear them on stage Ah'd break mah neck if Ah had to wear'em all the time." She said now standing barefooted on the wet ground.

Logan hadn't heard an accent like that in...ever now that he thought about it. Smiling a little bit. "Where you from darlin you don't talk like your from anywhere around here." Logan said now beginning to put on a little charm and for reasons he didn't seem to know why it was just oozing out of him.

"Oh.. Ah'm from the south, Ah was born and raised in Mississippi and Ah moved here after-." The girl broke off her features darkening a little bit. "Ah just moved here." She finished.

Suddenly stumbling from inside the bar the drunken creep was straightening his clothing after being man handled by the bouncers and thrown out of the club. Looking up he stared for a second at the two people talking in the parking lot, why is was that stripping and that dick head who tossed him off the stage like he was a fucking rag doll. Gathering up his gusto he trotted over to the two. "Hey...hey you." he said stumbling a little bit but regaining his balance quick enough.

Logan looked up over the girls head as she turned suddenly shrinking back a little bit her back pressing into Logan's abdomen. Jumping a little bit she whirled around realizing it was the man who'd helped her. Looking at the girl reassuringly Logan stepped in front of her and stepped up to the drunk standing intimidating taller then him.

"I ain't talkin to you jack ass I'm talkin to the girl now get outta my way." the drunk said trying to shove Logan out of his way. Logan didn't budge but grabbed the guy by the collar of his dress shirt. "Oh what she your girlfriend or something." The drunk said, man some men just didn't give up even when they where about to get there asses kicked.

"Yeah she is now, so back the fuck off." Logan said shoving the guy backwards as the rest of his buddies came laughing and stumbling out of the club. Some of them looking over at there friend a group of them came walking over. "This guy giving you trouble Frank?" a short pudgy bald headed man asked stepping up next to his friend.

Logan glanced back at the girl for a second before letting Frank go and through a good right hook at the guy who'd come to help him as the rest of the group came strolling up to help.

"Get in the truck, kid." Logan said quickly walking back to her yanking the room open and shoving her in through the driver's seat. Slamming the door shut behind them Logan locked them and started the trucks engine and revved it burning rubber as he drove out of the parking lot. The Wolverine inside of Logan's head was calling him a pussy for running away from the fight. But the part of Logan that wasn't all carnal knew that he couldn't take on that bunch of drunken losers without scaring the fuck out of the girl. Glancing over at her Logan was already getting onto the free way before he thought to ask her where she lived to take her home. They where going to be on the road together for a little while which Logan didn't seem to mind right about this moment. Wolverine was fuming with anger.

"Hey, hey kid. I'm sorry I should turn arou-." Before Logan could finish his sentence good, the girl snapped.

______________________________________________________________________________

"NO!...no.. Ah mean no its okay...Ah don't care about going back...Ah've been wantin to get away from that place for the longest time." She said. Before wondering what the hell she was thinking? She was in a truck with a strange man no changes of clothes nether but her purse and her heels. Rogue wasn't afraid of him trying anything with her, she'd sucked up plenty of different assholes on the road to Anchorage and through her meditation she knew she could survive another one. But deep down inside Marie was scared to death; she didn't want to hurt anyone else. And for uncertain reasons, she didn't want to hurt him. Almost like a driving force inside of herself told her to merely stick it out. She didn't know him from Adam, but with him and as strange as it sounded inside of her head a voice told her that she was safe.


	5. Chapter Five

______________________________________________________________________________

Rogue and the man had been on the road for several hours without a word spoken between the two. Rogue was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, okay well a lot uncomfortable. Casting side glances at the man driving his eyes where straight on the road a cool breeze flowing into the cabin on the truck through the cracked window cigar smoke disappearing out of the window. "Ah'm Rogue." she finally said to break the silence between the two. Looking over at the man Rogue smiled a little bit.

"What's your name?" Rogue asked after a moment of silence. Finally the man glanced over at her taking another draw off his cigar. "Wolverine." Was all that he said.

Rogue's brows knitted a little bit thinking about what he said. _'Wolverine...what kind of name is Wolverine.'_ "What kinda name is Wolverine anyways." She finally asked.

Cutting his eyes over at Rogue Logan shrugged. "What kind of a name is Rogue." Logan asked.

Looking down at her hands for a long moment Rogue rubbed her hands a little bit. "Mah names Marie." she said looking over at Wolverine for a second a small innocent smile.

"Logan." he said giving Marie a small smile back before returning his attention back to the road ahead of them.

Marie had drifted off for a while her forehead pressed against the cool glass of the passenger door window. Rousing herself somewhat her body felt stiff as she stretched her legs out on the floor board a little bit before looking around at the white snow covered landscape that was surrounding them.

"Where are we?" She asked hoarsely. Sitting up in the seat straighter.

"Canada." Logan said not taking his gaze away from the road. Logan had spent three hours listening to the deep rhythmic sound of Marie's breathing as she slept. Cutting his eyes over at her she was staring out of the windshield looking around at all the fresh snow. She had to be hungry, the hunger pains making themselves known if only to him for the past hour as he drove listening to Marie sleeping. It wouldn't be long before they got into Laughlin City and they could get a room and something to eat. _'A room. What if she doesn't want to share a room with me, which is understandable. Sleeping in a room with a fucked up as all men as me.'_ Sighing irritated, Logan was beginning to wonder what the hell was going on in his mind when he'd shoved that kid into his truck and took off. He didn't even know how old she was he could be transporting a minor over the boarder she might have parents. Frightened, angry parents who are desperately trying to find there daughter and then come to find out she'd gotten into some guys truck and just took off with her. Logan knew he'd never lay a hand on her, he wouldn't touch that kid with a ten foot pole. _'But damn she is gorgeous.'_ Logan thought to himself.

Shaking his head Logan tried not to think about the kid, about her possible parents trying to find her and the repercussions of him taking her along with him. Sensing she was looking at him Logan turned his head slightly to look back at her. Big brown doe eyes where searching him. Probably wondering if he was going to try and get into her pants. Well she didn't need to worry about that Logan had already made it very clear to himself and to the Wolverine that he was not going to touch this kid.

"So how old are you kid." Logan blurted out before he realized it. Seeing her face fall into her lap Logan wondered if maybe he had asked the wrong question at the wrong time. "Hey...hey kid c'mon you ain't gotta tell me if you don't wanna I'm just curious if I'm gonna get my ass carted off to jail for carrying you across the boarder." Logan said a bit gruffly.

"Ah'm 21." She stated her voice flat.

Pulling the truck over onto the shoulder of the road Logan lit a cigar and cracked his window a little bit before turning in his seat to look at Marie fully and devote all the concentration that he could to just asking her a few simple questions rather then ravaging her body with his eyes.

"Know listen kid, lets get one things straight between us, there'll be no lying." Logan said pointing his fingers at her waving his cigar around the cabin of the truck.

Watching Marie lurch backward somewhat away from the burning cigar afraid that he might burn her and maybe try a little more since he'd pulled the truck over Logan decided to lean back in his seat again try to make himself a little less terrifying to the girl because by all means Logan knew he could be terrifying. Suddenly the image from his last nightmare came into his head making his wince a little bit uncontrollably.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Ah'm really 18 but ya don't need'ta worry cause ain't no body tryin to find meh okay? Ah left home a while ago and Ah ain't goin back and Ah doubt mah parents will want meh back and don't gemme any of that bull about ya parents love ya and they want ya home cause Ah know from personal experience that they don't." Marie said pausing to look at Logan as he searched her words for the truth.

"Ah just can't ever go back, lets just leave it at that." She said finally returning her gaze back to the snow flurries that where beginning to fall on the windshield. Her chest aching somewhat. Marie wanted more then anything to be safe at home in her old room talking to her girl friends on the phone and going to parties. Marie wanted more then anything just to be normal if just for one day to touch someone, oh God that's what she missed the most those little touches that people take for granted every day. Hugs, hand shakes, her mama kissing her on the forehead before she went up to bed. She missed fooling around in the garage with her dad on the weekends working on an old car they where restoring together. She sometimes wondered had her dad finished it yet or if it was collecting dust in the garage because deep down inside her dad really did miss her and just couldn't stand to lay a hand to the old car without having his little helper to crack jokes with.

Watching Marie she was shivering in the cold, Logan hadn't realized just how cold it had gotten in the cab of the truck. Switching on the heat Logan went to grab Marie's hands to put them against the heat. "Put your hands on the heater." He said when she flinched away from his touch. "I ain't gonna hurt ya kid now just put your hands on the heater." Logan said staring at her.

Shaking her head Marie held her hands up to the glorious heat that had begun to pour out from the vents in the dashboard. "It's nothin personal, its just...when people touch mah skin something happens to them." She said feeling Logan's heated gaze upon her again.

"Like what?" Logan asked.

"Ah dunno...they just get hurt." Marie said looking at him with pleading eyes that asked him to promise never to test her skin to see if she spoke the truth, she couldn't stand the thought of hurting him although Marie couldn't understand it. There was something about Logan that called to her, that was drawing her closer to him and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Fair enough." Logan said putting the truck into gear and pulling back out onto the road again.


	6. Chapter Six

______________________________________________________________________________

Marie learned from the beginning of there little trip together that Logan was a man of every few words. And most of the time they weren't even words he just grunted or growled which for some reason seemed very sexy to her the growling thing. It was something that started deep in his chest like a grumbling and then rose up into his throat. She imagined that when he was angry Logan might even bare his teeth like an animal ready to attack its next victim. Sighing to herself she pulled her feet up into the seat and rested her chin against her knee's looking over at Logan she noticed he wasn't wearing his seat belt her mama had always taught her to put on her seat belt and as soon as she'd felt the truck jerk into motion last night she'd quickly buckled herself in.

"Ya know you should really wear your seat belt."

Waving his cigar clenching fingers at her. "Know listen kid I don't need any lessons on how to drive from you okay?" Logan had taken his eyes off of the road for just a minuet and had started to cross over into the other lane of the high way when a car started coming. Quickly jerking the truck into his lane again the car honked their horn at him and flipped him the bird.

Giggling in her seat a little bit Marie smiled over at Logan. "Ah told ya." She said getting a little brave.

Grunting Logan slowed down to two miles an hour and pulled on his seat belt. "There ya happy kid? I got my damned seat belt on." Logan gripped.

"Well hey if ya'd had gone flying through the windshield it would'a been yer fault ya know." She said still giggling a little bit under her breath.

Logan was shaking his head a slight grin tugging at the corner's of his lips before he took another draw off of his cigar. It hadn't struck him yet that Marie was a mutant; he just naturally assumed she didn't want him touching her and made up some little story about people being hurt when they touched her skin. Although since the thought hadn't struck him she was a mutant he hadn't bothered to notice that her scent wasn't lying to him.

"So where are we going anyways." Marie asked.

"Laughlin City, it's just up the road another couple of miles. Once we get there we'll get something to eat." Logan said the persistent growling of his stomach was beginning to get on his nerves.

______________________________________________________________________________

The minuets passed by like hours as they got closer and closer to Laughlin City. Marie was in desperate need of a bathroom _'Uh Ah'm gonna burst if Ah don't get to a bathroom soon.'_ She kept thinking to herself. Soon she started trying to do what her mama would tell her when she was a little girl and they where on a long road trip. _'Just think of dry things Marie.'_ Her mama would tell her and that's exactly what Marie was trying to do.

When Logan's truck pulled into a parking lot it was already starting to get dark outside but she could clearly see by the lamp posts here and there in the parking lot. Logan was up out of his seat and crawling into the back of the camper pulling down a few articles of clothing.

"C'mere kid, I don't want ya to stay out here and freeze to death in this camper come put on these boots and one of my old jackets. There are a lot of perverts in these places so just do as I say and stay with me don't go wandering off, don't talk to anybody and stay where I tell you to stay." Logan said.

'_Gawd he sounds like my mama.'_ Marie thought to herself as she climbed over the seats and into the camper connected onto Logan's truck. "Alright Ah'm comin." She said getting back there she looked around feeling her bare feet scrapping across dirty anolyum flooring. Marie assumed that the full size bed was actually the kitchen table underneath it. Her families' old camper had a bed much like that.

Logan was pulling out a faded denim jacket and a pear of socks out of a duffle bag sitting on the counter. Sitting down on the edge of the bed Marie pulled on the socks her mind wandering how many women Logan had in this camper in the past. She contemplated wither the sheets where even clean. Pulling on his socks they where too big for her feet but she was grateful for the warmth. Logan was digging around on the corner for something when she heard him grunt.

"Here, put these boots on there big but they'll keep your feet warm." He said setting them down next to her feet. Looking up at the make shaft clothes line of jeans hanging there Marie was fully away that there was no possible way for Logan's jeans to fit her but she needed something to brace her legs against the bitter cold so she put them on rolling the legs up before synching the belt tightly around her waist. The boots had to be at least three or four times to big for her feet but she shoved her feet inside and tied the laces so tight that they wouldn't have a change to slip on her feet when she walked.

Feeling a gush of cold air Marie looked up as Logan was opened the door to the camper and had jumped out. Standing up she walked over to him the boots making a thud noise every time she took a step giggling a little bit. Logan was holding his arms out to her to help her out of the camper there weren't any steps to step on so she gladly let him help her. Logan grabbed her under her arms and easily lifted her out of the camper and set her back down on the ground. Marie's feet making crunching sounds in the fresh snow outside the truck.

Taking a look around Marie was a little confused. "Ah thought you said we were going to Laughlin City?" She asked as a trucks head lights shinning in her eyes as they searched for a parking place which was pretty much anywhere.

Slamming the camper door shut Logan back sure that it was locked before he turned back to Marie. "This is Laughlin City." He grunted taking her satin gloved hand and pulling her along with him. Marie summed the place up fairly quickly inside of her head. A real shit hole.

Walking up to a large barn like building Logan pushed the heavy steel door open and ushered Marie inside. The first thing to assault your senses was the smell of piss, puck, and unwashed bodies covered over by cheap perfumes and colognes. Feeling Logan take her hand again she couldn't help look over at the man she was with and smirk. This place seemed to suite his hard ass exterior. "Ya come here often?"

Logan snorted a little bit before pulling Marie towards the bar. "It pays the bills." Logan remarked pushing Marie down into a seat and reaching into his pocket and laying down twenty dollar's on the bar. "Gemme a beer." He told the bartender looking over at Marie he raised his brows slowly. "Ah'll just have some water." She said. Marie had never really drunk beer and didn't imagine this to be the best time to start. Although she hoped they would be done here soon whatever it was they where doing here she wasn't sure.

The bar was fairly empty when they came in but about a half and hour later the place started to full up with more and more people. Standing up Logan whispered to Marie. "Stay here, don't move and don't talk to anybody someone starts to bother you, you scream for me." He informed her as he walked over to what looked like a big cage up on a platform. Turning into her seat she could see Logan taking off his jackets and plaid shirt as well as his boots before he stepped into the cage.

'_What the hell is he doing?'_ Marie asked herself. After Logan had gotten into the ring a short round man came in along with him pulling a microphone along with him as he came into the ring. "And here for another round the Wolverine, who in the crowd thinks they can beat this man of mystery?!" the announcer spoke into the microphone. The crowd was really getting into it when a man about the same frame as Logan came walking through the crowd and took off his jacket.

Stepping into the ring the announcer whispered something into his ear and the guy nodded slightly before beginning to bounce around the cage as the announced stepped out and closed the door. _Ding Ding_ went the sound of the bell announced the beginning of the match.

Turning from his corner Logan punched the guy right in the face sending him reeling backwards into the wiring of the cage. Staggering forward the guy tried to swing but Logan caught his wrist in mid air grabbed the collar of his shirt and head butted him knocking the guy out for the rest of the time. _Ding Ding _went the bell again announcing that the match was now over. Two heavily muscled guys stepped into the room and picked up the unconscious man and pulled him out of the ring.

The Ring Master as Marie had started calling him stepped back into the cage bringing along his microphone with him again. There were people crowded around the cage screaming and taunting Logan. Yelling various different curse words at him as well. "Who else here is willing to fight this animal. Are you going to just stand by and let this man take your money!" the ring master's voice rang out throughout the whole bar.

Suddenly a large bald headed man stood up in the back and yelled. "I'll fight'em!" Turning round on the cage the ring master waved a hand through the air. "Our Savior!" he said as the bald man stepped into the cage at this point Marie was seriously asking herself. _'What is it with bald guys?'_ Standing in the cage the bald guy was flexing his muscles for the crowd prepared to win them all there money if they bet against Logan.

_Ding Ding _came the bell again and the ring master waddled out of the cage and closed the door behind him again. Turning around the bald guy landed a hard left hook to Logan's jaw which sent him stumbling backwards into the cage. Hitting him again Logan feel to the floor. Grabbing the wiring of the cage the bald guy started to kick Logan in his abdomen hard. Turning around the guy flexed his muscles for the crowd again giving Logan a chance to get to his knees. Turning again the guy was about to punch Logan again when there fists met in the air. A cry was heard from inside of the ring when the bald man withdrawals his hand shaking it as the pain surged through his fist. Hitting the man with a left then a right and another left Logan grabbed the guy and through him into the metal wiring of the cage. Crashing into the floor the bald man was about to crawl back up with Logan held the sides of his shinny bald dome and kneed him right in the face rendering him unconscious.

Some of the crowd was booing and other were cheering. Walking back over to his corner of the cage Logan looked out at some of the people flexing his back. It was a little red but after a few moments you couldn't even tell that he'd just had the living day lights kicked out of him.

Entering the ring again the ring master announced. "And still the King of the Cage…the Wolverine!" After losing there money many of the drunks where already leaving the bar before Logan even had a chance to get out of the cage to put on his clothes and boots. Logan had just gotten his boots on when he came up to the bar buttoning his up his shirts. Sitting down next to Marie he ordered a beer. Lighting a cigar Logan took a long slug from his beer bottle. Looking up at the television there was some new cast about the Mutant Registration Act and the movements that Senator Kelly was making against mutants. Before he could think about the M.R.A he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder.


	7. Chapter Seven

Update: Wow right now I would just like to thank Wanda W, Nicca, and Dulcesweet for the reviews. You know it surprises the heck out of me every time I upload a new chapter and see that the old fans are still keeping track and that there are new people reading along too. It makes me want to work that much harder to make the story as good as it possibly can be. Just whoa wow its awesome thanks you guys and I'll try to update more chapters soon. Cass

Never even turning around Logan had already sensed the man bald headed man behind him. "You owe me some money." The man leaned down into Logan's head. He's friend tugging at his jacket sleeve. "Come on Steve lets just get out of here." he said to the bald man Steve.

"Nobody walks away from a beating like that without a mark to show for it." Steve said. His friend was still trying to get him to leave with him. Leaning down into Logan's ear again Steve whispered. "I know what you are." This got Logan's attention jerking his head back just a little bit.

"You lost your money you keep this up you lose something else." Logan snarled before turning his attention back to the television set.

"Look Out!" Marie screamed at Logan as Steve pulled a knife out of his pocket. Quick as lightening Logan was out of his seat and pinning Steve to the wall three six inch metal claws came from his fist. Holding Steve against the wall he could smell the fear all over the guy. Feeling something against his ear Logan knew the bartender was holding a shot gun to his head.

"Get outta my bar freak." The bartender said with force although Logan could sense that he was scared shitless. Shifting Logan extended his claws on his other hand sliced the shot gun in two, shot gun shells scattering all over the cement floor.

Shrugging his jackets back into place on his shoulders Logan walked out of the bar hearing Marie's foot steps running after him. Getting into the truck and shoving the keys into the ignition Logan stopped looking at his hands he rubbed his knuckles when he heard the door to the passenger side of the truck open as Marie climbed in looking at him with worry in her eyes, probably afraid of him now. Sitting back in her seat as Logan gunned the engine and the truck lurched forward as they took off onto the icy roads. There was a long silence between the two before Marie finally broke it.

Looking at his hands she asked. "When they come out.. Does it hurt?"

Keeping his eyes on the road Logan looked at his knuckles for a second flexing them on the steering wheel. "Every time."

The silence closed in around them both again for a long time. Logan kept driving until they where safely out of distance from the bar. Logan knew Marie had to be starving by now and they where running low on gas. Pulling into a gas station Logan looked over at Marie. "Gotta get some gas I'll get some stuff for us to eat on while we're on the road until we can find a place to stop." He said getting out of the truck. And slamming the door shut he walked around and began to fill the truck up with gas. While the pump was still running Logan walked inside of the gas station to grab a few things.

Walking inside of the store Logan walked down the isle to the refrigerator's and grabbed a bottle of water, six pack of beer and walked back down the isle loading his arms up with all that he could hold.

Standing at the check out counter Logan dropped all the items down in front of the little clerk.

______________________________________________________________________________

Sitting in the truck Marie stared out of the window was Logan came back out of the gas station and around to the driver side. She could hear him putting the gas pump back into its slot. Smiling as he got back into the truck Marie couldn't actually really consider them as getting closer but it felt like it to her in this strange kind of way. Maybe it was because she knew he was a mutant now too, although she'd never heard of any mutation that could give you metal claws.

Getting into the truck Logan tossed the bag into Marie's lap, looking inside there was an apple, some crackers and chips and a bottle of water and some beer. Smiling to herself Marie grabbed the apple out of the sack and laid the other stuff aside.

Juice from the apple ran down Marie's chin which she whipped away with the sleeve of the jacket she was wearing busily chewing away as she watched the scenery begin to fly past them once again. Beginning to get a little curious Marie was wondering how Logan's mutation had manifested and if the claws where a part of his mutation. Since Marie had been on her own she'd heard talk about secret government labs where mutants where held prisoner against there will and became like genie pigs for mutant experimentation.

Swallowing a chunk of apple Marie licked her lips before asking. "Logan where did you get the claws?" Staring at him her eyes where as big a saucers.

Logan's head could've snapped off of his head if it hadn't been attached to his neck when he looked at Marie for a long moment suspiciously before realizing he had nothing to be suspicious of Marie about, the kid was only curious about his mutation hell he was curious about it himself.

"I got them in a lab, that's about all that I can remember. I guess I had to have escaped that place because the first thing I remember if I think back hard enough is waking up naked in the middle of know where freezing cold…that was fifteen years ago."

The shocked expression on Marie's face was full of questions that she was afraid she might not ever get answered. "Are you sure you where in a lab?" Marie had to ask the obvious question.

Nodding his head Logan glanced at Marie for a second before answering her question. "Yeah, yeah I'm sure. Cause I have nightmares about it…almost every night." Logan swallowed somewhat remembering what he'd done to Marie in his latest nightmare.

"Oh." Was all Marie was able to manage taking another bite from her apple Marie's mind was swimming. _'God that at to be so horrible fer him, and Ah thought Ah had it bad living with Cody still inside of mah head.'_ Marie thought to herself before dropping the corps of her apple into the bag.

______________________________________________________________________________

Usually Logan wasn't comfortable with people asking about his past, mainly because he couldn't remember it except for little bits and pieces that didn't seem to help him understand his past life any.

Spotting a hotel just up the road Logan gunned the engine and the truck skidded into the parking lot. It was Logan's poor attempt at trying to get away from Marie's questions although he had a feeling she was done with asking questions for now. Stopping the truck Logan took the keys out of the ignition and looked over at Marie who was looking around the almost abandoned parking lot. "I'm gonna get us a room, I can't drive anymore I need to sleep." Logan said although it was already in the early stages of morning. The sun capping over some snow covered mountains in the distance the horizon a mirror of colors all the way from pale purple to blue and pink.

"Make it a double." Marie yelled out the door of the truck as Logan shut it.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Reviews:** Wow thanks to all that took the time to go all the way to chapter seven. I'm still dumbstruck and flabbergasted to say the very least.

I have already worked out chapters 9 and 10 and I am almost half way finished with chapter 11 so hopefully by the end of the weekend those three should be posted for your viewing pleasures. I'm not sure if the story is going to fast or to slow but I would appreciate it if you all wouldn't mind telling me or maybe even giving me some new plot ideas.

Anyway here is chapter 8 please, please, please review I love hearing what you guys think of it so far and thanks so much for getting me this far! ***Hugs and Kisses***

**Somewhere Near New York**

Walking through the halls of the Brotherhoods secret head quarters a large man wearing various animal skins came to stand in a large room the décor of the room very much like that of the inside of a rock. "Magneto we've located the mutant." Victor said. The man better known by his associates as Sabertooth.

Slowly turning in a heavy metal crafted chair a gray haired gentleman smiled up at the large man for a moment. "Everything is going according to my plan. Soon all of the world will be in my control. And there's nothing Xavier and those pesky X-Men of his can do about it." Magneto mused to himself rubbing his hands together slowly an evil smirk spreading broadly across his face. Rising from his chair Magneto looked at Sabertooth for a moment. "Well…?" Magneto asked. "Go and fetch the mutant Victor she isn't just going to come knocking on our door, now is she?"

Clenching his fists somewhat Victor Creed turned on his heel and marched out of Magneto's office mumbling to himself. "Someday, someday I'll be the one giving all the orders around here." Passing a man crouching onto of a statuesque figure with a paint sprayer in hand Creed marched passed him without a word still mumbling to himself angrily.

Climbing the stair's to the roof of there hide out Victor's eyes fluttered as snow caught in his long blonde eye lashes, the blade of the helicopter whipping the already fluttering snow like a tornado. Getting into the spare seat inside the helicopters cabin Victor looked at a slender woman with blue skin and scales. Mystique. Adjusting the her head set she turned on all controls and began to left the helicopter off the heliport and into the sky.

______________________________________________________________________________

Snuggled warm and cozy into the Klean and Komfy hotel room Marie sat Indian style on one of the two full size beds ravenously eating from one of the Styrofoam boxes of food Logan had brought back to her after getting there room. Sitting know in just her dress shirt and thong her legs covered by sheets Marie had taken a quick shower while Logan was gone. He'd made it clear to her before leaving that she wasn't to go outside. She'd rolled her eyes at him and asked.

"Where would Ah go?" There was a realization on Logan's face before grunting and walking out of the hotel room door slamming it behind him with enough force it's a miracle that he didn't crack the frame.

Staring at the T.V. Marie was to busy listening to the newscast of the latest mutant attacks when Logan came out of the bathroom a towel wrapped around his waist while he looked through his duffel bag for a pair of sweat pants. Looking up Marie had a French fry half way into her mouth when she took notice to Logan's apparel. Straightening again Logan could feel her eyes scanning him. "Like the view?" he raised a brow enjoying the now crimson color of Marie's cheeks as she blushed and averted her eyes into her plate. Heading back into the bathroom Logan grinned to himself. "Thought so." he said loud enough in ear shot for Marie to hear before kicking the door shut behind him with his foot.

Belching somewhat loudly and very unlady like Marie got up from her bed and walked over placing her empty food container into the little trash can in the corner of the room. Hearing the bathroom door opening she hurried back to her bed and got under the covers again, feeling a little strange that she should be hiding the sight of her bare thong clad bottom when Logan had already seen her strip for a room full of drunken losers but even still she didn't want to just be flouncing herself around Logan half naked like some hooker which she was not.

Pulling his food from the sack on the end of the small table Logan grabbed one of the plastic forks and came over to the other bed and sat down. Shoving food into his mouth as quick as he could swallow Logan looked up for a second Marie was staring at him. "Geez louise sugah take it easy ya gonna choke." Marie said sliding the half full bottle of water towards him on the nightstand that was between the two beds. "Or make ya self sick." She added.

Grabbing the bottle Logan twisted the cap off and took a long slug from the bottle drinking half of his contents in a split second. Gasping after pulling the bottle away from his lips Logan sighed and put away his food container he's eyes where much bigger then his stomach. Sliding under the sheets of the bed Logan looked over Marie was already snuggling down under the covers on her side staring at him the sleeves of her shirt protectively covering her hands.

"Ah got the light." She said softly reaching up and switching off the little lamp on the nightstand, the sun coming through the window of the room, somewhat shadowed by the thick curtain. Closing her eyes Marie turned over onto her other side her back towards Logan. She wondered what she was doing, where she was going with this. Wondered what Logan was thinking and if he regretted bringing her along with him even though he didn't really give her much of a chance to pretest his shoving her into his truck and taking off back at the club. Today would be the second day she'd been gone, Marie wondered if anyone was worried about her because she didn't show up for work last night.

Marie's mind was still busily thinking about how her life had turned out many hours later when she heard something coming from the bed next to hers. Rolling over Marie could see Logan fighting in his sleep he was mumbling grunting. Raising up onto her elbow and turning on the lamp Marie swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat there watching Logan fretting in his sleep for a little while before standing up and stepping closer to his bed.

"Logan?" Marie asked leaning down her bare hand hovering over Logan's shoulder. "Logan wake up."

Moving in his sleep Logan's dream seemed to be getting worse from the way he was mumbling in his sleep more and more. "Ya havin a nightmare sugah." Marie said

Logan let out a pain scream as he bolted up right in bed his nightmares vanishing into the décor of the hotel room. Breathing heavily Logan could feel the pain in his hand his claws extended. Feeling the weight on them Logan focused on the girl in front of him his claws puncturing straight through her breast bone and sticking out of her back.

Extracting his claws Logan grabbed Marie by her shoulders holding her up as she swayed on her feet. "I'm sorry." he mumbled his mouth dry with fear

'_Ohgodohgodohgod no please no!'_

Marie was falling into the carpet between the two beds. Holding her in his arms Logan was whispering to her. "I'm sorry Marie, I didn't mean to." Looking into her big grown eyes Logan realized this was almost exactly what he'd dreamed. Marie was looking up at him with those fleeting eyes pleading with him to save her like she just knew that he could save her.

Marie's hand slowly reached up to Logan's cheek the tips of her fingers grazing over his bearded face to his skin. Instantly Marie could feel the pull of Logan's mutation, she hadn't been sure that touching him would heal her but she had a little hunch. Marie could already feel the stab wounds in her chest healing when Logan collapsed next to her on the floor. Going into convulsions Marie grabbed her gloves off of the night table and quickly put them on. Marie had heard once after she'd left home that the best thing to do when someone was in convulsions was to hold them down…or was it make sure they didn't swallow there tongue? Either way she did both until Logan's trimmer's stopped. She leaned over his chest and checked to see if his heart was still beating. It was it was a little slow but it was still there. _'Thank you Jesus!'_ Marie almost shouted.

Pulling Logan up into a sitting position Marie got up onto the bed and pulled Logan up back onto the bed. _'Good Lord he's heavy!…he's gotta way like 300 pounds!'_ Breathing heavy Marie finally got Logan up onto the bed and pulled the sheet over his waist checking and rechecking to make sure that he was breathing. _'God what did Ah do to him?'_ Marie thought before sitting back down on her bed staring at Logan's unmoving body. _'Oh God what if he never wakes up? What if he stays in a comma for three weeks just like Cody did?!'_ Jumping up Marie was afraid what Logan might do to her if or when he was up from his sleep. Getting his clothes on quickly Marie put on the boots and jacket Logan had given her grabbed her purse. Marie knew she didn't have that much money but she sure as hell wasn't going to leave behind the last few dollar's she had to her name. Looking around Marie watched Logan for a few more minuets as she stood at the door preparing to leave. _'Oh Ah hope he's okay.' _She silently prayed to herself before opening the door to the hospital the bitter cold hitting her in the face as she stepped out into the snow.


	9. Chapter Nine

Logan woke up several hours later his head pounding as he looked around the room. It was dark outside as he slowly sat up on the bed holding his head. _'God…it feels like she almost killed me.'_ Logan thinks to himself before he notices Marie's absence from the room. Getting up slowly he went to the bathroom door and knocked softly.

"Marie…you in there." No response, holding the handle Logan already knew she wasn't in there she'd run away he didn't have to look into the bathroom to know she wasn't there. But still hope was lingering in his chest when he through the door open, the pale light coming in from the window lighting the bathroom somewhat for his eyes.

Sighing Logan turned away from the bathroom wondering why he should care if that kid took off, she'd damn near killed him with that mutation of hers. And then the vague memory of what had happened came back to him. He'd stabbed Marie through the chest it was just like he'd dreamt it only a few nights before after the first time he'd seen her. _'What have you done you animal.'_ Logan sat back down at the foot of her bed holding his head in his hands.

"What have you done?" He asked himself out loud.

Looking back up the sudden thought of Marie out there on her own, if she hadn't taken his truck. But seeing his keys on the night table the thought was whipped away from his mind. Getting his clothes on in record time Logan through the hotel door open and walked out to his truck looking around for any foot prints near the truck Marie had been long gone for a long time because any signs of her foot prints had already been covered over by at least six more inch's of snow. Getting into the truck Logan shoved the key into the ignition turning the key the truck wouldn't start for him it was too cold. Trying it again the engine revved to life along with a great many _tinks_ and _clanks_ as the engine whined and Logan slammed the truck into gear. He was determined to find Marie.

Driving until the sun rose Logan was beginning to lose all hope that he would find Marie, what if someone had picked her up and she was half way across Canada by now. He couldn't blame her if Logan was Marie he would've run away too.

As Logan began to turn a curve in the road a tree trunk feel across the road, Logan couldn't swerve around it his truck ran head on into it sending Logan flying through the windshield just as Marie had predicted only a few days before. Landing in the snow a few feet away it was a moment or two before Logan regained his ability to move and picked himself up off the ground. Standing again he wobbled on his feet a little bit a large gash on his forehead healing as he walked back to his totaled truck.

The wind began to blow carrying with it the stench of another presence with him on the road. Extending his claws a large creature pounced from the brush along the side of the road. Logan got a good swipe at the man before he punched Logan. Turning around Logan was barreling back at him but the large man had the branch of a tree in his hand and struck Logan with it sending him flying backwards into another small tree snapping the trunk in half like it was a twig. Scrawling up from the ground Logan lunged at the man being knocked back by another blow knocking him out as he hit his truck. Laying there Logan's claws extracted back into his hand.

While Logan lay knocked out on the hood of his truck the creature known as Sabertooth stalked up to the truck and wrenched the door open and looked inside the truck. The mutant wasn't there.

Feeling the wind beginning to pick up Sabertooth looked around and there stood two of Xavier's men, the X-Men as they called themselves one male one female the female could control the weather and she was whipping up a snow storm with high winds that sent Sabertooth flying off into the distance passing where Mystique had landed the helicopter.

______________________________________________________________________________

Marie hitched her way into the next town where she found a bank that would actually take her ATM card and took three hundred dollar's from her account. Looking around she walked to the nearest hotel and got a room hauling herself up there for the rest of the night Marie huddled up in the bed her back against the head board crying. She could still feel Logan inside of her head. God he was so messed up from that lab she couldn't understand how he staid sane and then maybe he wasn't half sane traveling around Canada to get the pulp beat out of him in fight bars just for money. Marie was sure that there was something more that Logan could do to get money from the Logan inside of her head she knew he was smart he just would never let anyone see that side of him.

Finally crying herself to sleep she feel into a deep dreamless sleep that seemed to last for ages and ages. Waking again in the morning she rolled over half expecting to see Logan in the other bed, but she was still thinking of the last hotel room that she'd been in and then it all came back to her of what had happened the night before. Fighting back her tears Marie hoped that Logan was okay and that when he'd awakened he wasn't terribly mad with her, she'd had to do what she did…she would've died if she hadn't.

Getting out of bed Marie took a quick shower and went back out into the freezing cold she didn't know where to go. Walking to the train station Marie bought a ticket for the first train that was leaving. It was headed for Anchorage, Alaska.

Sitting there she looked out of the window watching the steadily falling snow, ignoring the glances that people kept giving her as she wore a mans clothes none of them actually fitting, Logan's boots, Logan's jacket, pants and shirt she could smell him all around her and it ripped something apart inside of her. She was stupid to have believed that she would be safe with someone like her, another mutant. She didn't belong with anyone and humans well that was a lost cause who would ever believe that she didn't want to hurt anyone when the world was filled with people who hated and feared mutants. Marie hadn't wanted to hurt Logan, she knew that he hadn't meant to stab her he was having a horrific nightmare he was protecting himself running on instinct as he had for so many long years still not knowing who he really was, where he came from or how he came to be the man that he was now. The Wolverine. Her bottom lip quivered gently as she closed her eyes tightly pushing back the tears that wanted release so badly. No, not know she wouldn't cry here in front of all these people, she would wait until she was alone as she would always be to cry Marie had all of her life to cry for her mutation for the people who had been damaged by it, her parents, Cody and his family, for the nameless faceless men on the road who had gotten just a little too friendly and she had been forced to use her power against them. And now Logan. Logan was inside of her head now and he was so much different from the man she had traveled with. The Wolverine was there, but there was a kindness and tenderness about him inside of her head that spoke to her, that made the rip in her heart gap open and swell up with all the pain of the world.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Westchester**

The mutants that had saved Logan from his attack by one of Magneto's men Sabertooth they'd taken him back to there head quarters in Westchester New York to a man named Charles Xavier the founder of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The Professor as the called Charles had checked on Logan many times during the time that he was in the med lab; Logan had been in a coma like state for almost three days. Xavier had learned from searching Logan's mind that he was a mutant of course that he'd been in a lab some fifteen years before. What the Professor couldn't understand was what Magneto would want with this mutant.

Logan was beginning to become aware of his surroundings. _'It's a lab, FUCK! I'm back in the lab!'_ Logan thought to himself. Sensing someone else in the room with him the flickering of the over head lights coming on made his ears perk up. Someone was touching him, running there fingers over his arm tracing there fingers over the spaces on his knuckles where the claws came out. _'Get ready for a surprise mother fucker.'_ Logan thought was he felt the prick of a needle going into his arm when he sprang up from the table he'd been laid out on. Clutching the person around the neck Logan looked around the place. This didn't look like the lab that he'd been in at all. Sniffing the person who'd been able to inject him with something he was sure of. It was a woman. Releasing her Logan ran from the room the doors of the med area he was in opened as he approached looking around Logan pealed off the sticker things on his chest and abdomen and pulled the needle from his arm.

'_Where the hell am I?'_ Logan asked himself as he began to look around the place more, one thing at the end of the corridor he was in caught his attention. Four leather uniforms in glass cases. _'What the fuck?'_ Seeing a cabinet door open he looked inside and grabbed one of the zip up hooded sweaters and ran until he came to a hidden door that opened as he approached it just like the one in the medical area he'd been in.

Opening out into another hall way the walls were paneled with dark wood this couldn't be a lab. Hearing foot steps coming from behind him Logan ran quickly hiding behind a pillar supporting the ceiling. It sounded like a bunch of kids. Peaking from behind it he caught the back side of a dozen or more kids running down the hall. He had to get out of this place before he was caught and taken back down to that medical room he woken up in.

Going into the first closed door he saw Logan had his back to the room. Sensing the presence of many in the room Logan turned around. There were more kids in the room four of them and there was some old bald guy behind a desk.

"Class that will be all for today I want your reports on my desk Monday." the bald man said excusing the children from the room. Stepping aside as the kids rushed past him a younger girl ran back for her book bag and walked straight through the door.

"Good morning Logan, you've been out for some time." the man said driving his mechanical chair away from his desk and up to Logan.

"Where am I?" Logan asked.

"You're at my school for gifted youngsters Logan…your in Westchester New York." he said.

At that moment the door to the office opened and two more people came into the room, one a woman with white had which complemented her dark skin tone and the other a man with red sunglasses on. "Logan this is Ororo Munroe otherwise known as Storm and this is Scott Summers also known as Cyclopes." The man said as the red head from the med lab joined them walking past Logan to stand next to Xavier.

"And who are you? Wheels?" Logan scuffed.

"My name is Charles Xavier." Looking at the red head Charles spoke again. "And I believe you've already met Doctor Jean Grey." Charles said.

Raising his brow softly Logan smirked at the man in the door way called Cyclops. Grabbing his by the collar of his shirt Logan raises the man up to his face. "Cyclops, ya wanna get out of my way?" Logan said.

"Logan." Xavier broke in. _"You're not the only one with gifts." _Xavier was a telepath, using his ability to read people's minds he could also speak to them without uttering a single word.

Turning around Logan looked at Xavier. _"It's been almost fifteen years hasn't it Logan, since you lost your memory." _Xavier continued to speak into Logan's mind. Inside of Logan's mind it was like Xavier's voice came at him from all directions. Raising a brow slowly Logan asked. "What is this place?"

______________________________________________________________________________

**The Brotherhood**

It wasn't their fault that the girl had already bolted before Mystic and Sabertooth got to her. Magneto was to say the least infuriated with their incompetence. "The X-men, they knew." Mystique drawled perching herself on the edge of the steel desk turned her head over her shoulder to look at Magneto. "It's possible that they already have the girl, but as Victor said, she wasn't with the mutant. They could have parted ways a long time ago." She smirked slowly raising a finely shaped brow.

"Yes, a possibility Mystique." Magneto said from behind his desk slowly calculating what it would take to correct his comrade's mistake.

Magneto knew for sure that Charles would eventually link their attack on the mutant Wolverine with the girl and sooner or later he would go looking for her, whether or not he waited until he figured things our was debatable, Charles couldn't resist a lost mutant in the world. Still of the mind that with the proper education that humans and mutants could live in peace and harmony together. Magneto knew better, he had seen the world and his pathetic human race and what they were capable of when they were presented with something new that posted a threat to their egos. Humans were nothing but instincts under mutant's feet trying to stomp them out. Well Magneto was going to see fit that that did not happen. Years ago there were few like himself but the chain of evolution was hard at work and with his aid he would populate the entire world with mutants. With Magneto, you were either with me, or against him.

"Mystique, go to Xavier's make yourself invisible. See what you can find. Charles may already be looking for the girl and it he finds out where she is, we will intercept."

______________________________________________________________________________

**The Professor**

Charles Frances Xavier had started a school, a school for mutants. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters as it was publicly known. Few outside of the mutant race know that Xavier's was a safe haven for mutants all over the world. Logan was finding all this to be a load of crap but as he toured the grounds listening to the cripple rattle on about mutant rights and how many of the students here were a danger to themselves as well as all those around them he had formed the X-Men Jean, Scott, and Ororo being his first students to ever help learn to control there powers. Charles found it adamant to prepare his students for the world, teaching them that not all the world was fair that there were mutants that thought differently from himself and his team, that's were the Brotherhood came in.

"I believe that you were targeted by Magneto and his associate Sabertooth." Charles said as they re-entered the institute sitting in outside of one of Storms classes.

"What's a Magneto?" Logan arched a brow slowly as he turned his attentions toward the class for a moment longer as the lush Ororo paraded the room teaching her history class her white top showing more cleavage than was needed in a class full of hormone crazed mutant teenage boys. The shirt was having its own effects on him.

"A very powerful mutant, from the x-ray's Jean took I believe that it is your rather unique abilities that he is after. He probably would like to recruit you as a member."

Charles sat folding his hands in his lap as he looked out of the glass window into the class room. Logan did have very unique abilities, but he was also very messed up, mentally at any rate. His body could heal from almost anything and because of that it also made it impossible to determine his age. Logan could very well be older than himself, but aside from that Logan had suffered some very damaging mental images in his life time that he can consciously remember. It often took a very long time to put such things behind ones self, and from the inside of Logan's mind which Charles had spent extensive hours studying was on the self loathing side, not only for the things he had done but most recently for the young woman Marie or Rogue as she called herself now. Charles would like to find her, and bring her back here. To give her a safe place, as well as possibly help her get control of her powers.

______________________________________________________________________________

Staring off into the class room. Magneto wanted him. Well wasn't he popular. Logan wasn't at all worried about this Magneto character that Xavier spoke it. At the moment he was staring into the chocolate chestnut hair of the young girl who had run straight through Xavier's office door. There wasn't anything else familiar about her, only the hair of course it was too short to have been Marie but the color and texture made him think of her, wherever she was he hoped that she was okay. Probably damn glad to be the fuck away from such a sorry bastard like himself. Logan didn't belong here, or anywhere else for that matter but for the short amount of time that Marie had been traveling with him it had felt like maybe somehow he had belonged somewhere, to her maybe. But that was just bullshit, she was too young, he was too old, she was too innocent, and he was too jaded. There was nothing between them other than the fact that they had very nearly killed one another a few nights ago.

He would have liked to have seen her before she left, of course he would have made her stay talked her into it somehow. But tell her that he hadn't meant to hurt her, the very thing that had woken him from nightmares seeing her face pleading up to him as his claw's were buried deep inside of her chest.

Logan understood that this was where Marie belonged, somewhere were she could become an adult not that she already wasn't one. She'd been through hard times she was a stripper for fucks sake! A kid like that didn't belong in a place like that. He guessed that was part of why he had been so drawn to her when he first saw her was that. He felt very protective of her. Because of her age, because of her innocence, that was all he needed to tell himself. He didn't need to think about what it would feel like to touch that creamy silk poisoned skin, to breath in the smell of her hair. To see those orb like brown eyes staring up at him with much to much adoration than he deserved.

"_I can help you find her, Logan."_

Logan flinched away. Every time he heard Xavier's voice inside of his head he wondered if he knew just how fucked up it was that he could read his thoughts. Read anyone's thoughts for that matter.

Turning away, Logan put his back to the class folding his arms over his chest staring down into that big bald domed head of the Professor his jaw tightening. "This isn't your mistake to fix."

"That is true Logan, but I can find her. It is in my grasp, it would be up to you what you did once she is found." Charles moved the joy stick on his wheel chair maneuvering himself around as a replica of Bobby Drake turned and walked away from them. Eavesdropping on their entire conversation.


	11. Chapter Eleven

________________________________________________________________________

Mystique had carefully gathered the information that had freely flowed around the mansion after Charles exited cerebro. The X-Men were planning on taking the jet to Anchorage and meeting Marie was soon as she got off the train.

Gliding into Magneto's office her hips swaying as she felt her importance to this mission. "She's on a train headed for Anchorage, looks like she got scared and decided to head back to where she came from." She said a steely emotionless glint in her vivid yellow eyes.

"Find out the train's schedule and ready the helicopter." Magneto said standing from his desk and moving around it leaving the room to prepare himself for his meeting with the young mutant girl that would aid him in forever changing the way the world revolved.

________________________________________________________________________

Marie's eyes drooped as she leaned her forehead against the window at her seat. The sun had disappeared out of the sky, not that she had ever been able to see it, the day had been fogged and cloudy the ever present snow continuing to drift soundlessly from the shaded heavens. Her thoughts strained on where she was going, where she was headed back too, the day before she thought she had been boldly taking a step forward, and now she was only face with having herself taking three steps backwards. Marie had decided on one thing, she was no longer going to live her life in fear, humans be damned she wasn't going to let their hatred towards her rule her life. She wasn't going to be stripping much longer that was if she hadn't already lost her job at the club. She was only going to stay on there until she could get a decent and respectable job and maybe, just maybe she would seek out others like herself. Logan was the only other mutant she had ever met. Marie needed to be surrounded by other people just like her.

Turning her head slowly she watched silently as a woman and a small boy rested against one another on the long trip, the mother she assumed gently caressing the boys cheeks that still held baby fat on them. A brief smile turned up the corners of her lips. Marie would have that someday, if she had to lie, steal and cheat to get what she wanted. Sitting up she stretched slowly her limbs aching from being stationary for so long in her seat.

Reaching up she ran a gloved hand through her hair as she stood up feeling her spine elongate and stretch slowly as she looked up and down the isle for a moment before heading towards the rest room feeling her full bladder sending her warning alerts and she only prayed that there wasn't someone already in the rest room. There was always that one person who hogged the bathroom through the entire journey she had a sinking feeling that if that was the case today she would rip the door straight off of its hinges and through them out into the isle.

Sighing in relief as she saw the door slightly ajar and she stepped inside flicking the light on before closing the door behind her and locking it. Marie didn't have to do much work on the jeans she could push them down without ever unzipping or buttoning them at all and another huge sigh of relief echoed in the tiny space.

Sitting there for a moment longer Marie reached up for the toilet paper when the train was jolted slightly, although she didn't think anything of it, trains did that all the time. Didn't they? Yelping as the train itself started to skid on the tracks sending Marie and all other passengers nailed back in their seats screaming as the train started to tilt off of the tracks. Or so they thought.

Hurriedly pulling her pants up she had to get out of this bathroom and find out what was doing on outside. Marie didn't have the chance, as soon as she stretched out her hand steadying herself with the other the train completely flipped. Screaming Marie felt slivers of glass falling on her body as the mirror burst. As the train met its impact she banged her head against the door sending her into a world of darkness.

________________________________________________________________________

Logan was securely bulked into a seat in the jet next to the good doctor Jean. Had he been given a choice he would have chosen to have been flung to Anchorage in a giant sling shot because even that would have been better that Cyclopes' piloting but he was going to see Marie and for her he would do and go through just about anything that he had too. Unfortunately, Logan couldn't blame Cyclopes for the weather however he could Storm.

"Isn't there anything you can do about the fog?" He growled folding his arms over his chest, a stance that was becoming increasingly familiar to the members of the X-team.

"I'm sorry Logan; there isn't anything I can do. Without the fog we'll be spotted." Storm said turning in her seat to sincerely apologize for the flight.

Tightening his jaw with no one to blame his thoughts turned back to Marie, when he saw her he was going to explain so many things. Only there was something that was holding him back, Logan wasn't a lover he was a quick fucker and leave and Marie made him want to be more than that. He didn't know her like he should have to be having feelings like this, as far as Logan could remember he hadn't ever felt that way about anyone. And she was so young, eighteen he was old enough to Marie's father, maybe even her grandfather.

Twitching in his seat his ears perked up as he heard Scott speaking into his head set. It didn't sound like good news from this end.

"There's been an accident." Scott said somberly

The train that Marie had been on, as soon as the team and Logan had left the institute Charles had returned to cerebro to watch over Marie until the team got to her in Anchorage, the train had crashed. This crash was no accident Charles could clearly see that, one minuet the train was fine and then the next it was derailing off of the tracks. Magneto had stopped the train itself, flipping it up into the air until it landed on its top on the side of the tracks. For a brief time Charles had still been able to find Marie but only minuets after the crash he could no longer pin point her location.

After Scott had re-laid the account of what Charles had told him to the team and Logan he decided to turn the jet around and head back to the mansion until the Professor could find Marie on cerebro. Jean had had to all but sedate Logan in the end it came to simply using her telekinesis to keep him in his seat and from possibly crashing the jet and killing them all.

________________________________________________________________________

As she opened her eyes she felt the warm sticky trickling of blood at her temple? Her back ached from the way she was twisted trapped inside of the bathroom stall. Shifting slowly the lights taking spouts of flickering on and off on and off as she started to slowly right herself. She was lying on the ceiling instead of the floor. Trying to speak she could hear rustling outside, maybe everyone was okay, someone would come to get her out but her voice was hoarse as if she hadn't spoke for a long time but she didn't think that she had been out very long but the chill in the air told her that she had been unconscious for some time now.

"He- help meh!" She blinking quickly pulling herself up onto her feet as she tried the door handle it was stuck, holding onto it with both hands she jiggled the knob hoping that she could budge it. Gaining her balance Marie braced her leg against the wall and began to pull as hard as she could against the door handle screaming all the while that she was trapped for someone to please come help her.

________________________________________________________________________

The Brotherhood had scoured the entire train not finding the girl anywhere, after the crash had taken place Magneto had ripped the steel frame of the train apart for them to come inside, people were screaming, no one seriously hurt only scared out of their wits although had it been Victor he would have killed them all and worried about the girl later, but the girl was going to play a big part in Magneto's plan. Her unique ability was exactly what he needed to power his mutant making machine. The authorities hadn't been able to get through to the accident just yet, the weather playing on there side as the snow had stopped falling only to be replaced by freezing ran and ice on the roads companied by a thick fog had Magneto not known any better he would have said that he had the aid of a certain weather witch on his side, but he knew that was much more than a fancy little lie.

Perking his ears up Victor thought that he heard something for a second or two before it stopped and then he heard it again. Moving his large animal like form down the isle he was getting closer to it. Reaching the back of the train he could hear a voice through the bathroom door, of all the places she could have been she'd choice that time to take piss right before they had caused the crash. Taking the handle in two fingers and a firm grasp he jerked the door straight off of its hedges and the girl began to scream once again when she caught sight of her rescuer.

With a roll of his eyes Sabertooth reach into the bathroom for a screaming Marie. "Don't touch meh! Don't touch meh!" Like he hadn't heard that one before. Of course Sabertooth didn't exactly know about the specifics of Marie's mutation and his hand was headed straight for her bare skinned neck. "Please don't touch mah- AH!" Marie struggled back against the back wall of the bathroom stall. She was about to warn him of her skin when his hairy palm and sausage like fingers closed around her bare skin.

It was less than three seconds before the bull took hold and Marie could feel Sabertooth's thoughts, memories, personality (not that he had much of one.) and the root of all his abilities surging into her being. His eyes bulged in there sockets, large blue veins stood up against the flesh of his features as his knee's buckled under his weight, she was sucking him dry.

Marie's head started to pound against the dominant personality that was rampaging through her mind she couldn't stand much more. Luckily that was when the pull stopped, Sabertooth had nothing left to give. Marie had completely absorbed him. She'd killed him. In all truth Victor had been sick, Marie could feel it in her bones, and he had been dying. There wasn't anything his healing factor could do for it any longer. Marie's mutation was the straw that broke the camel's back.

'_Ah gotta get out. Ah gotta run.'_

Squirming Marie was torn, this was Magneto's fault he hadn't cared about the girl he'd wanted to go directly after the X-men shut them down for good. Clenching her eyes shut her gloved hands came up to her head clutching it, willing the chaos to stop, she'd never absorbed another mutant before except for Logan and certainly not one with so much anger and hate one that really enjoyed hurting people. Suddenly Logan was there he was with the mutant in her head and they were fighting, struggling for control. The Wolverine was all primal but so was Victor, but the Logan persona in her head felt that this was his territory Marie was…his? Wolverine didn't so much say these things as feel them, show them in his actions the way he stance. His beautiful hazel eyes were no where to be found only replaced by darkness giving off a wolfish yellow glint as the two dominant entities in Marie's head converged. Survival of the fittest.

Suddenly as the Sabertooth and Wolverine fought inside her there came the sound of footsteps in the cabin. "She killed him." Marie's eyes widened in alarm at the green sallow face of Toad staring from her to Sabertooth's dead body.

"You little bitch!" Came the malicious voice of Mystique next to Toad.

As Mystique lunged at Marie she let herself fall back against the wall of the bathroom her legs coming up fast striking Mystique in the abdomen sending her barreling out into the hall stumbling over the dead body of Victor. Before Marie had a chance to figure out where she'd learned to do that Mystique was on her feet again and coming at her with all the strength that she had. As the two women struggled against each other it was harder for Mystique to get a good hit in without making contact with Marie's deadly skin. Toad however took no part in the fight, he simply stood back watching the cat fight start to really get good. While the Wolverine was savagely fighting for control of her mind he was also commanding her to fight back, telling her what to do and when to do it each time Mystique came at her and she was listening.

Marie was gaining the upper hand in the bathroom but it wasn't going to last for long. Mystique was more capable than her appearance lead one to believe. When Mystique was recovering from a punch to the stomach that had knocked the wind out of her sails Marie bad a run for it. The section of the train she was in was all but empty save for Toad, Mystique, Victor's dead body and Magneto.

There was no way out, not from this end anyway, the exit into the next car was blocked up by luggage all the way to the ceiling and she had no time to loose trying to through it all out of her way to get out. Turning as Mystique came out of the bathroom, Toad following closely behind her. Marie backed away until the back of her legs were pressed against the luggage blocking her only exit aside from trying to fight past the two in front of her. Just then Mystique and Toad separated as Magneto appeared in all his iron helmeted glory. "You have no idea how long I have been waiting to meet you, Rogue."

Being as it was Magneto had always had a flare for the dramatic. "But." He shrugged. "All is well." he said brushing aside his cloak a needle filled with dark read liquid rose into the air turned and aimed itself in Marie's direction. Panic consumed her as she turned her back to the three and began to attempt to climb over the luggage but she felt the hard sting entering the flesh at the back of her neck before she could even complete the thought.


	12. Chapter Tweleve

Back at the mansion the team was at a loss at what to do next. Logan was furious at them all. Staring at the Professor sitting there in his chair with all of his precious X-men going over multiple different strategy tactics.

"You said you could help me." Logan growled pacing the floor. "You can't even help yourself." Snorting he must have been crazy to accept their help. Marie was in danger and he was thousands of miles away. Well he'd be damned if he was going to stay here and wait around to see how much worse the X-geeks could fuck things up.

Turning he left the office shrugging his jacket on as he went.

"Logan, Logan wait please let us help you. How do you expect to find her when you don't even know where she is."

Storm was right behind him when he reached the door. In private since the day they had saved him from his attack by Sabertooth she had allowed herself to entertain thoughts about him. He was very attractive in his own way and Storm had been alone for sometime, throwing herself into her work as a teach and training as an X-woman to help her forget the void in her life. A long time ago she had assumed that she would be married with a family by this stage of her life.

Pausing his hand on the door, Logan could see that Storm was smitten with him. Sighing his hand on the door know and he answered her. "The only way to find her…look." Opening the door he was faced with a pale skinned man dripping in sweat.

"I'm looking…" he panted "for Doctor Jean Grey." The man was Senator Kelly.

Kelly had been prisoner to Magneto only days maybe hours, he had lost all since of time and reality. He had been the first test subject to Magneto's machine.

________________________________________________________________________

"So Magneto has built a machine to genetically alter DNA?" Scott looked around his fellow team members his brow creasing making his visor ride up on the bridge of his nose slightly as he continued to finish the though silently inside of his mind.

"But he doesn't know that it's unnatural. Senator Kelly's body is rejecting his mutation, its killing him." Jean spoke her fingers laced together nervously watching Logan pacing the floor right back where they had started.

"What I don't understand is what he wants with Marie?" Charles sighed worry lines wrinkling his brow. His normally bright kind eyes were dark with concern.

Suddenly Logan stopped pacing. Realization dawning his features. "He's going to transfer his power to Marie." Looking around the room. "He's going to use Marie to power the machine." Scott finished the thought his eyes boring into Logan's even though no one could actually see the two men's eyes meet as Scott stood up quickly.

Bursting into the room Storm through the doors open wide her hair wind swept fro running all the way to the office. "I know where Magneto took Marie."

________________________________________________________________________

**Senator Kelly**

Leaving the conversation in Jean's office for a moment Storm had decided to check on Mr. Kelly in the med lab, Storm could safely say that she didn't hate human beings she was more afraid of them. It was as simple as that and even as she was afraid of them and with good right she should have hated them, certainly the good Senator Kelly for his work in the licensing of all known mutants but she didn't, she felt sorry for him in the most basic form.

How were humans to begin to believe that mutants were not dangerous that they just wanted to live a normal life like every one else when something like this could happen? Honestly Storm could relate to both mutants and humans in their concerns for all of mutant kind. It was mutants like Magneto who called themselves a brotherhood for the better of mutant kind that were the ones that created all of the hostility from humans against mutants.

"Magneto, he did this to me." Kelly rasped taking Storms hand.

"Don't leave me…just don't seem to want to be alone." Kelly only know was beginning to see that mutants were no different from humans some were good and some were bad.

Storm understood she held his hand wishing there was something more that she could do to help him.

"He's going to kill people and he doesn't even know it, maybe doesn't even care." Kelly said gasping for air. "He told me, he's going to do it tonight at Liberty Is- Is." Kelly's body shivered as it turned to waist completely evaporating.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N:**_I realize that chapter 13 is a bit short or at least if feels short to me, but I didn't want to botch this chapter up because a lot of drama and fighting is coming up in the next chapter and I would like to re-watch the movie just to get it right. I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to read the story up to this point and apologize for any and all spelling and grammar error's. I seriously need to get a beta :p take care and enjoy._

_Cassandra._

________________________________________________________________________

Marie's head was still pounding just as badly as it had been when she had felt the sting of the needle in her neck only now there was a dull soreness in her neck that throbbed keeping time with the beat of her heart but put more bluntly as he grandpa used to say 'throbbin' like a red robin's ass.'

Turning her head she thanked the heavens that where ever she was the lights were dim. But just where she was made her sit up and take a better look at her surroundings. It was in semi darkness where she sat and it was deliciously warm. Straightening up Marie became aware that she was handcuffed around a steel pipe and her gloves had been removed. Pulling in a shaky breath, Marie was going to die at the hands of the mutants that had kidnapped her. What had she ever done to them Marie couldn't say, she supposed that these were the cards that life had dealt her. She was never meant to be happy, to live a normal life. Fate might have been able to bring her to her death but it would never be able to take way her pride. No one wanted Marie and she could live with that so long as they never saw her suffer. But this resolve was a lot easier said than done.

________________________________________________________________________

Logan was sitting in the blackbird adjusting the zipper on his uncomfortable leather uniform, how he had gotten suckered into wearing this he wasn't at all sure. "You people actually go outside in these things?" Raising a brow slowly at Scott preparing the blackbird for take off.

"Unless you prefer yellow spandex." Scott mumbled taking the jet into the sky.

The ride on the jet this time was slightly smoother being as Logan had something more important to train his mind on. Marie, they were going to get her and when they did get there he was going to slice and dice every last one of those brotherhood fucks until even their own mothers couldn't recognize them.

"Storm, a little cover please."

Sitting up in his seat Logan watched as the infer red shielded the windshield of the jet as they were surrounded by a low hanging fog the blackbird descending from the air hovering over the bay.

Exiting the jet, climbing their way over the shore line the team looked up at Lady Liberty scanning the area. Pointing towards the bottom of the torch Scott spoke. "There."

________________________________________________________________________

Magneto staring out from the torch watching the fog rolling in from the bay his back to Marie his helmet removed as his eyes narrowed. Mystique standing behind him. "Stay sharp, we're not alone." Squaring her shoulders Mystique left them alone as herself and Toad went to hold of the X-men from Magneto.

Turning slowly Magneto looked at Marie seeing her fear. "Once upon a time ago none of this was here, when I first came to America. It was supposed to be the land of hope." Smirking slowly a grim expression stretching across his face. "We are going to change all of that, and you my dear are the key." Turning his chin up as he watched the girl's back straighten. "And well if you have to die for that to happen then it's a small price to pay."

The reaction Magneto got from Marie was not the one he had been expecting, tears, pleading for her life. She simply squared her chin and looked away from him. She was strong, that was good. She would need to be strong to power his machine. Leaving her alone he went to prepare the machine as well as ready himself he would need to have his thoughts together when he transferred his power to Rogue.

________________________________________________________________________

Shifting in her seat Marie looked up around her, above her head was a dome like structure; twisting her hands she hoped maybe she could free her hands. If she could just get loose she might have a chance of getting away. Straining her fingers tightening her fist to squeeze her hand through the cuff, but they had been cuffed too tightly. Pulling her bottom lip up into teeth biting down onto it as her eyes closed squeezing out slow tears.

"Help meh! Somebody please!"

It was no use; no one was coming for her. All the regrets that she had there were few only one face stuck out in the crowd of people inside of her head. Logan. Marie wished that she hadn't left him when she had, she should have staid in that hotel room until he woke up until she knew for sure that he was okay that he was alive still. He was the only one who seemed to really understand her, that hadn't shrunk away from her poisoned skin. With her parents even when she had been gloved and covered from head to toe they had still carefully crept around her as if the power in her skin would seep out and crush them through her clothing. Swallowing she shook her head Logan was telling her that it was alright not to give up, there was a way out of this that he was coming for her. But he wasn't Logan was probably dead. No one could survive her touch not even Sabertooth could she'd tried to tell him, warn him. But he had no idea. She knew that now, the only one who really understood about her skin was Magneto and the blue one, the woman. Mystique. Sabertooth had been left out of the loop so badly that it had killed him, and now she had to live well not for much longer but with him inside of her head.

Marie knew that she hadn't had much of a life but at least she had had one, and it was almost over now. Like the sands of time slipping through the hour glass that she couldn't reach to turn back over before it was too late.

________________________________________________________________________


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N:**_ This has to be the longest chapter that I have written in this story so far. I would like to apologize for the wait, I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter as it is a very important chapter in the story. I proof read through it and spell checked it twice but still there is only so much that once pair of eyes can find sometimes. I will apologize for any spelling and grammar errors. And now I would like to thank you all for reading this story. Whether or not I end it here shall be a surprise. Now leave me lots of reviews because I love getting them._

_  
Cassandra._

________________________________________________________________________

As the team entered Lady Liberty, Logan could smell something off. It just wasn't right, other than the obvious. Him in a leather monkey suit, Marie in the hands of a mad man. No it was more than that.

Behind Storm, Logan watched as the group passed the security desk with no guard. A small television was on, volume low as the newsman narrated.

Looking around the alarms suddenly sounded just as Logan was passing through the metal detector. Clenching his jaws slowly a low growl forming inside of his chest one more reminder of what he was that if it hadn't been for him Marie wouldn't be in this mess at all. It was his fault that she had run away that night; if he had just kept his distance from her maybe he wouldn't have stabbed her through the chest forcing her to use her mutation on him to save her own life.

_*Skit* _His claws shot out snapping through the side panels of the metal detector shutting it down before he stepped through his brows raising as he looked at the rest of the group staring at him as his claws shot back into his fist leaving the middle one remaining unsheathed and it's meaning was directed strictly at Scott daring him to say anything.

Proceeding into the hall of memories of New York's vast rich history Logan's nostrils flared. "Someone's here." He growled out his shoulders squaring as he proceeded ahead of the team.

"Who is it?" Scott questioned not entirely sure if he trusted Logan's so called 'Animal Instincts' at all.

Logan knew this scent from somewhere, but where he couldn't exactly place it. The mansion, he knew this scent from the mansion but what would someone else from the institute be doing here? Everyone from the team was already with him.

Before the thought could be finished a replica of Logan shot out from its hiding place claws extended ready to deliver the killing blow but the real Logan was ready for it. Mystique the incredible mutant could shape shift into anything that she wanted. The bitch in Wolverine clothing as it was.

Countering Mystique's attack Logan landed a kick to her abdomen sending her stumbling backwards into her hiding place again as he lurched forwards after her the team right behind him.

"Wait!" Two Logan's said halting the team before they could move any further, Logan sliced the wire cording that held the door open as it slide shut behind them the team was left standing there dumbfounded as to just which Logan was which. They team wasn't left much time to think as Toad's tongue lashed out grabbing Storm's ankle and sending her flying into the air landing not far away from him as he jumped down from the railing hitting Cyclopes square in the chest knocking him into another room.

Only Jean was left to defend herself against the sickening sight of Toad himself, he was ready to strike but how out he truly loved to play the game as he launched himself at her.

Throwing her arm up her concentration at its peak catching Toad in mid leap his form hovering over hers. However now that she had him there, what was she to do with him? Hearing a strange throaty sound Jean's attentions were brought back to the mutant she had in the air when a wade of green slim was spit into her face covering her breathing passages and allowing Toad to freely fall back to the ground where he preferred it.

Now as the group was being thoroughly disbanded by Toad one handedly or shall we saw single tongued, Logan and Mystique were in the heat of battle. One had to admit that the woman did have some moves, ones that left even Logan in pain despite his fast acting healing factor. Straightening again after twisting Mystique over his back onto the floor he straightened his back looking at his double as Mystique leapt into the air sending a round his kick to his face and in the process transforming back to her natural form. In all of her blue skinned, yellow eyed glory she was fully on her feet watching Logan stumbling back into chain linked fencing that protected many of the electrical switch boxes before she picked up a spare and pounding Logan in the chest with it, his claws ripping straight through it.

Mystique had flexibility going for her and one had to wonder if it wasn't a part of her mutation as her feet met his shoulders to avoid the lash of his claws moving through the chain length fencing like it was a piece of paper and propelled herself into a packing crate that had been left there. Staring down on him a coy smile spread across her blue lips revealing a pink tongue that slide over them before leaping into the air and climbing up a pipe into the darkness.

Coughing Cyclopes was recovering from the kick that had been sent to his chest as he adjusted the beam on his visor blasting the door open in time to see Jean struggling under the slim partially covering her face, she was out of oxygen and was thrown aside by the blast to the door. "Hold still." His voice was commanding and panicked still at the same time as he leaned forward examining the damage before he knew the only option was to blast the damn thing off. Reaching up he adjusted his visor to its lowest beam as Jean clenched her one visible eye shut blasting the slim away from her face.

Climbing up Storm looked around seeing the table that she had crashed into on her way to the floor when Toad leapt onto the trailing right in front of her jumping onto her his feet dug into her torso as his hands clasped her shoulders sending them tumbling over one another before they were thrown apart.

"I think it's time someone reminds you why they call me Storm." She breathed out staring into Toad's beady little green eyes as a sudden wind swept up around them moving her hair as her eyes slowly turned milky white, the wind blowing everything around them that was blowing everything down including Toad was being thrown backwards by the force of the high winds as he continued stubbornly to stand up over and over again. Storm was advancing on Toad when her weather powers threw open the double doors that lead out onto the viewing area, if Toad had thought that the winds inside Liberty were harsh he hadn't seen anything until he was being forced into the air backwards by Storm's winds his tongue lashing out as it grasped the railing to keep himself from being blown straight into the harbor.

"Do you know what happens to a Toad when it's struck by lightening?" Storm's brow cocked gently in her delicate features as she looked up towards the sky watching the thunder roll before a lightening bolt charged from the sky striking Toad's tongue. "The same thing that happens to everything else."

________________________________________________________________________

Finding his way back out the way he had come Logan's still sheathed claws cut through the metal door blocking his way and stepping out as Scott was helping Jean clear little congealed bits of Toad's slim off of her face. As the two saw Logan step through the ruined door Scott's hand shot up to his visor quickly.

"How do we know it's really you?"

Honestly it was true and who could take chances on a mission like this with Mystique running around masquerading as people as she often did.

Raising his brows slowly Logan looked at Scott. "You're a dick." He stated bluntly as if it were a fact well known by all of them and at the moment Scott wasn't going to take offence to being called a dick. Scott really didn't care what Logan thought of him, but he did have to admire the strange, rude, brooding man for going along on this mission. Had Scott ever met him before this had all happened he would not have pegged Logan for the type of man who would go on a mission like this just to save a girl that he really hardly knew? "Okay." Scott shrugged his shoulders letting his hand drop from his visor.

But that was the way that Scott saw it, from Logan's point of view he knew all that he needed to know about Marie, and that was that he loved her. He was irrevocably in love with her, poisoned skin and all. And Logan had some pretty creative ideas about how to get around Marie's skin.

"Hey…" Everyone looked up to see Storm leaning over the rail. "Up here." She gestured with her head before disappearing from the railing altogether.

While Logan, Jean and Scott were regrouping Storm had found the stair way to the top of Lady Liberty. She hadn't been here since childhood and since then they had closed off viewing from the top of her crown but the stair way was still in use however as the elevator no longer went to the top floor.

Trooping up the stair way a large hole had been blown out at the time of Liberty's head revealing the flamed torch that shone as a beacon to all that this was the home of the free and the land of the brave. "Everyone get out of here." Logan growled through clenched teeth as he stared up at the torch.

"What's wrong?" Storm stepped forward almost touching Logan's shoulder before his body started to begin to move not of its own free will.

"I can't move."

As Logan was pinned up against the wall the rest of the team followed suit as Magneto floated in from the hole in Liberties head his metal helmet under his arm as he smiled down at them all Mystique jumping through after him to stand at his side. His always loyal right hand woman.

"How wonderful of you all to join me on this night on one of my most momentous achievements." Magneto smirked slowly looking around at the team his once great friend had formed to fight against him in the war on man kind. Smiling as he motioned Mystique forward. "You'd better close your eyes." He told Scott as Mystique took his visor.

"And you, lets point those claws of yours in a safer direction." He said as Logan's arms unwillingly contorted towards his chest before metal straps were clasped over them. "There, that's much better."

"I've seen Senator Kelly." Storm swallowed her eyes following Mystique as she held Scott's visor in her hands.

"Ah, so the good Senator survived the fall. And the swim to shore." Magneto smirked rather proud of himself. "He's dead. I saw him."

Jean spoke up watching as Magneto came closer to her. "Are you sure you saw, what you saw?" He asked before he frowned.

"Why do none of your understand what I am trying to do? Those people down there, they control our fate and the fate of every other mutant! Well, soon our fate will be theirs."

"You're going to kill them, your machine doesn't work." Storm cried because she knew, she was their when Kelly had died and it would happen to all those people down there if they didn't somehow stop him.

"Storm fry'em." Scott had had just about all he could stomach, had he had his visor he would have already done it himself. He was kicking himself for having not taken action sooner rather than have just let Magneto get the upper hand against him.

Suddenly Magneto laughed at that little show of bravery. "Oh yes! A bolt of lightening into a huge copper conductor, and I thought you lived at a school." He shook his head at Scott slowly. "Our time has come dear friends; humans are not longer the dominant species on the planet. We are."

Magneto smiled to himself gently before levitating himself through the hole in Liberties head again leaving Mystique and the X-Men to their own devices.

________________________________________________________________________

"Please, don't do this." Marie's eyes watered as Magneto came to her probably for the last time. She had said that she wouldn't beg, she had sworn to herself. But as she looked into those cold unrelenting eyes she knew that this was the end and she was alone.

"I'm truly sorry my dear but…this is the way it must be." Magneto told her his hands slowly rising even as she shook her head still pleading with him not to do this to her and his hands made contact with her face the pull almost instant as she felt all of his thoughts, his memories and most of all his powers being issued to her. Suddenly her whole body felt like a stone like a magnet as her hands were forced downward into the handles of the machine her eyes widening as she realized just exactly what this machine would do, she saw Logan and three other people all dressed in leather and they were here they had come for her and there rose a hope that not even this machine could take away from her. If she survived it she could be with Logan again, that is if he would have her after what she had done but why else would he have come all this way just for her unless he wanted her with him. She didn't know maybe guilt.

Marie's powers had weakened Magneto but hadn't killed him as he fell away from her crawling to safety as the rings of his machine began to spin slowly at first and then picking up speed breaking free from the flame of liberty to shine a whole new light of liberty on the city.

________________________________________________________________________

Logan couldn't stand it any longer as Marie's screams reached his ears. He was going to have to stab himself to get out of this. Looking down at his arms pinned against his chest if he was going to save Marie than there was simply no other way to do it. Taking in a deep breath he released the claws screaming. "FUUUUUUCK!" The pain was unbearable as he felt his restraints break dropping him into the floor his arms freed just before impact his eyes closed as he lay there face down.

As Logan had screamed Mystique dropped Scott's visor to see what had happened. As she moved closer to Logan she shoved him with her foot having completely forgotten about the visor as it levitated into the air quickly.

"Scott when I tell you, open your eyes." Jeans voice was shaking. This was their only chance.

"No!" Scott replied terrified of what would happen when he did not knowing what was going on around him.

"Scott trust me." Jean pleaded levitating his visor closer to them. "Scott now!" She screamed.

Opening his eyes he looked straight into Jean's but his optic blast was deflected by his visor pointed straight at Mystique who was hit by the red beam and sent flying through the roof.

Getting up from the ground it had taken Logan a little longer than he had expected to heal from that blow granted he didn't go around stabbing himself through the chest that often in fact he tried to avoid it at all costs but for his Marie he had been willing to do it. Cutting Jean and Scott free, Scott blasted Storm out as they all gathered at the opening in the ceiling.

"How are we going to get up there?" Storm asked staring up as a vivid light began to surround the machine growing and inclosing everything that it touched.

"Just blast the damned thing!" Logan screamed pushing Scott

"The rings are moving to fast I'd kill her!" Scott replied eyeing the rings moving as Marie screamed again.

Growling Logan looked back at the other two women. "Storm, you think you can get me up there?" He asked looking into the goddess's eyes as they suddenly widened in shock at what Logan was asking her to do.

"You'll fly right over it I don't have that kind of control Logan." She told him.

Turning Scott looking at his team mates. "Storm, get him up there. Jean try and steady him…and if he doesn't make it…well then I'll blast it." He said finally becoming the commander of his team again. It was the first good idea that he'd had all night and whether it worked or not they still had to give it a shot.

Standing back the wind inside the conductor started to pick up swiftly as Logan's feet left the ground, sending him up out of the roof and free floating into the air as Jean tried to steady him her control not what it should have been as there were more than one life at steak. The whole of New York was depending on them and they didn't even know it. Slowly as Logan reached the top of the machine Storms winds stopped allowing Jean to all but float him to the bridge of the rings. Standing up Logan looked down as the light that had surrounded them already in the conductor started to stretch across the harbor. Jumping down Marie was almost gone he could see it in her face as he unsheathed the claws preparing to release her when he couldn't move. Looking down Magneto was just below him his hand outstretched contorting the metal of his claws until they where almost unrecognizable when a beam of red shot out from the conductor releasing Logan from Magneto's powers his strained muscles free as he twisted around with the force of them slashing through the metal rings of the machine sending them into all directions as the light that had eclipsed them disappeared.

Logan's sensitive ears could hear Magneto moan in pain from below him but all of his concentration was on Marie. Cutting her loose from her binds he bent down pulling her up into his arms as her eyes slide open just a fraction.

"Ah'm sa glad ya came Logan." She breathed out slowly she felt so much pain as tears appeared to slide down the slits in her eyes. "Ah'm so damn tired." She gasped gently looking into his hazel hues. Those eyes that seemed to have pierced straight into her soul that very first night at the strip club, and if this was the face that she was going to see before she was finally put at rest from this cruel world well than her heart couldn't have beat faster for Logan.

"Course I came darlin'." He smirked trying to sound harder than he felt in that moment seeing her so weak, so fragile in his arms. His jaw firmed feeling his eyes sting. "I know. I know you're tired but I promise you can rest soon. I'll take you away anywhere you want to go you've got so much more to live for…c'mon baby stay with me." He whispered pulling her in closer until he knelt down pulling her right into his lap.

Marie almost laughed but it hurt so much just trying to breath when he said she had so much more to live for a small smile graced her face as she spoke. "Like love?" She asked her vision getting foggier.

"Yeah, yeah like love." Logan said looking into her eyes, literally feeling her slipping farther away from him.

"Buh Ah don't know love." Her voice broke the tears that slide in fat drops rolled down her neck as she gasped for breath. "Ah don't know love." She shivered looking into his face, the face that to her despite what anyone else in the world thought was the kindest face in the world.

"Oh no baby…" Logan shook his head feeling his heart breaking. "That's not true Marie you know that's not true…because I…" His voice broke off. Her eyes had closed and even as he had felt her breath so shallow before it had disappeared. "I love you…I love you Marie!" He shook her screaming feeling her small little body against his much bigger frame loose all use of any muscle she might have been using.

"No, you're not going to give up on me girl! Not without a fight you won't. Our skin touches and you take my healing. You don't even have to be awake, so you take it, take it all!" He screamed throwing his gloves off and holding her face in his hands so tightly that it made her little cheeks squish together puckering her full lips. But there was nothing, not even the tiniest ounce of life was left in her to take what he was so willing to die to give to her.

"Take it Marie please…" He begged releasing her cheek from one of his hands to cradle her head in his arm. And he whispered. "I love you Marie, I do…I always will. I love you, come back to me." He lowered his head one hand still resting against her porcelain skin still warm to the touch and his lips met hers for the first time ever and knowing that the first time would be the very last time and then again for the first time. The Wolverine, cried.

Logan staid there with her holding her, rocking her in his arms for the better part of any hour until he could muster up the strength to stand and he lifted her weightless body in his arms her head cradled against his chest and leapt down from the torch platform. Scott, Jean and Storm all watched crest fallen as Logan slide back into the conductor. Jean quickly stepping up to check her pulse, to try to do anything she could even though she knew that it was much to late for this sweet girl who could have had everything in the world had she been given the chance but Logan shrugged away from her quickly, protectively hovering over Marie's body in his arms.

"Just take us home."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_Never think._ Logan not in all of this time had thought that it would end this way. Considering he wasn't much of a long range thinker especially not when it came to women. He was a man of few words; he didn't care about anyone but himself and all that was changed now. Marie had broken that mold, released him. Tore away the walls surrounding him leaving him exposed.

And now that he was living that he was feeling the one thing that he had woken up for wasn't there anymore. Marie was dead. And Logan couldn't bring her back; he hadn't been able to save her.

What did that make him? He'd always thought that he could fight anything and walk out alive. He'd always thought he was strong. _He'd never think._

The jet was silent on the flight back to the mansion. The others had nothing to say, or didn't know what to say either way the silence opened up and swallowed them all whole.

Marie was in Logan's lap her forehead pressed into the crease of his neck his eyes tracing over her features. _She just looks like she's sleeping._ But she wasn't sleeping; he had to keep telling himself that. It was all over. What had even been the point in any of it? What kind of God would give her to him and then take her away so cruelly? It was punishment. Logan had always thought that in the past that he couldn't remember he hadn't been a bad man that he hadn't been the villain but he knew that he was. Logan, Wolverine whoever the hell he was he was the villain. And Marie had been the price he had to pay for all of his mistakes.

As the team stood up, Logan hadn't even noticed that they where back in the hanger. He didn't need there pity there apologizes. He had done this. Wasting too much damned time.

"Logan lets take Marie to the med lab." Storm was leaning in front of him, tears in her eyes and he felt a great swelling of pity for the fool standing in front of him. Letting go of Marie's hand he tucked his arm back under her knees and pulled her into his chest as he stood up.

He was strong alright, the weakest strong man the world had ever seen before. He would end this like the coward that he was it would end it all if it took him to the ends of the world he would end it.

Carrying Marie into the med lab he followed Jean blindly as she turned the lights on motioning for him to lay her down on one of the beds. Her head curled to the side as he put her down there a strand of white hair covering her face and Logan brushed it away with the tips of his fingers.

"Leave us alone."

Sitting down he took her hand into his, all the warmth that had once calmed him was gone.

"Logan, I don't think you should be alone now." Jean began.

"GET OUT!" His claws came unsheathed as he made his point. Watching the fear in Jeans eyes as she backed away nodding before she turned leaving the med lab.

Turning his eyes back on Marie shaking his head he pulled her hand up to his face breathing her in smelling her scent knowing that this was the last time that he would get to savor her sweet essence. "I'm sorry Marie…sorry that I wasn't strong enough darlin'."

Squeezing her hand he braced the tip of his claws to his chest, just over his heart or where it was supposed to be. He squeezed his eyes shut pushing himself into them and not once did he scream as the delicious pain liked over him feeling the blade pierce through his chest cavity into his heart and moving through his back. Opening his eyes he gasped. _It's almost over._ And then the blood came dripping slickly forth onto his skirt to his jeans and onto the bed.

Leaning forward Logan laid his head down next to Marie's squeezing her hand in his and even still so careful not to hurt her. He felt the darkness creeping up around him, felt the sweet abyss not to far away.

"_Logan? Logan what are you doing?"_ It was that sweet southern lilt that made his ears hum.

"_I'm comin' back to ya darlin'. Didn't honestly think you could get rid of me that easily did you?"_

There was a soft echoing of gentle laughter inside their shared darkness. _"Ah have a confession to make Logan."_

"_What is it darlin'?" _He whispered looking through the darkness trying, searching to find her in, well where ever they were. Was this heaven or hell? If Marie was there it had to be heaven although how he had gotten in he didn't know.

"_Ah'm in love with ya sugah…"_

_*Gasp*_ Sparking her eyes snapped open, as the connection between their skin was broken and Logan collapsed on the floor. Swallowing looking around where were they? Marie didn't know but all she knew was that she and Logan had been someplace that wasn't of this world. Maybe it was Heaven or maybe it was just limbo where a more loving God had decided to reunite them and give them both a second chance.

"Logan!" Springing off of the bed she knelt down on the floor next to him rolling him onto his back, he wasn't convulsing as he had that not at the hotel she'd taken a lot from him this time much more than before she could feel so much more of his strength in her as she heard footsteps come running as a door was thrown open.

"Oh my God." A red headed woman ran over to where they were quickly checking Logan's pulse. It was a miracle. "Scott come quickly!" She shouted as a man with red sunglasses on came running in expecting to see something completely different than what he saw.

The red headed woman and the man with the sun glasses later to be introduced as Scott and Jean got Logan up onto the bed and started checking his vitals. He was going to be okay he just needed some serious rest.

Over the next three weeks Rogue got to know everyone at the mansion and began to have a budding friendship with the weather witch called Ororo when they weren't on a mission. She staid with Logan all day and only very rarely did she go to her room and rest for the night and with the Logan inside of her head constantly on the prowl she pretty much got her way when it came to being with Logan.

It was a sunny Thursday when she came to the med lab, finally being coaxed away by Ororo to go have some breakfast and take a nice hot shower Rogue hadn't been able to argue with that logic. Stepping through the doors she pushed her hair back over her shoulders slowly as she stepped over to Logan's side looking into his sleeping face. Smiling she wanted to be the first person that he saw when he woke up. Touching her face, thanks to two of the more excitable young women of the mansion Kitty and Jubilee they had gone shopping for her bringing back variety of silk opera gloves for her to wear during her stay at the mansion.

Everyone here was so wonderful, she wished that she had found this place sooner but then she might not have ever met Logan.

Caressing his cheek in her gloved hand she reached down peaking under the bandage on his chest where his claws had gone through they were disappearing smiling she lifted the bandage off and ran her fingers over it slowly before seeing a twitch of his chest.

"Mmm that tickles." His hand came up slowly taking hers from his chest. "Hey." Logan smiled wolfishly.

Swallowing blinking back tears Marie smiled back. "Hey."

"Where's the good doc at?" Logan cleared his throat slightly beginning to sit up a little bit feeling a little stiff but it wasn't anything his healing couldn't take care of.

"She's in her office." Marie said watching him sitting up ready to grab him if he fell back to weak. "That was a really brave thing ya did fer meh Logan." Marie said gently. "Ah think Jean's a little taken with ya." She said hiding her eyes behind her hair, the white streak rather vivid against her brown locks.

Clasping her hand Logan brought her knuckles up to his lips slowly sensing her insecurities about the red headed bomb shell. "You'll just have to tell her for me that…my heart belongs to someone else."

For those of us who know these characters I would like to say that they lived happily ever after, but as Logan once stated this isn't a fairy tale. Marie and Logan had many happy years together, they married and raised a son and a daughter there were hard ships but in the end don't we all have our battles? So for now we will just say…

**The End.**


End file.
